Croatia protests planned poultry mega-farm in Apatija

Citizens and environmental groups in Croatia are organizing protests against the planned construction of a massive poultry mega-farm in Apatija. The facility is projected to have a capacity of approximately 3.5 million chickens annually, which critics argue will generate significant amounts of manure, wastewater, and harmful gases. Local residents have expressed concerns that the complex, consisting of 10 poultry houses, is planned only 400 meters from family homes and the Bednja River.

In Ludbreg, an exhibition titled ‘The Real Price of Mega-farms’ has been opened by the organizations Zelena akcija and Prijatelji životinja to highlight the cumulative impact of industrial farming. Activists warn that two foreign investors are planning over 20 such mega-farms and slaughterhouses across Croatia, with a combined capacity exceeding 200 million chickens per year. Protesters are calling for a halt to these developments, citing risks to water resources, soil quality, air emissions, and local quality of life, while demanding that Croatia does not become a dumping ground for European industrial waste.