Farmers in Croatia are becoming increasingly concerned by the spread of foot-and-mouth disease which is making its way closer to their country.
Agriculture Minister David Vlajčić has stated that Croatia is implementing all necessary and appropriate measures to prevent an outbreak, but farmers remain fearful that the disease might still infiltrate their livestock.
"If you ask me, I would completely close the borders with Western countries. I mean, we’ve already shut down imports of calves and cattle, cloven-hoofed animals, and, I don’t know, feed products for livestock—but look, I think we can’t really fight against air and wind," says Antonio Kerovec, a farmer in the Slavonia region.
Foot-and-mouth is more dangerous than African swine fever and affects all cloven-hoofed animals such as cattle, sheep, goats and pigs.
Andrija Stjepanek has concerns about his livelihood if the disease arrives at on his farm.
"It’s like African swine fever—once it arrives, it’s over. That means the livestock will have to be destroyed and everything, and who’s going to pay us for that livestock, right? Who’s going to finance that, who’s going to refund us, so to speak?" Stjepanek says.
In late March, Slovakia declared a state of emergency in an effort to eliminate foot-and-mouth disease following the detection of three separate cases in cattle facilities. Additional cases have since been confirmed, raising the number of affected locations to six.
A new outbreak of the disease was also identified in Hungary, approximately 15 kilometres from the Slovak border near Bratislava.
Border checks and closures are currently in effect between Slovakia and Hungary and their neighbouring countries - the Czech Republic and Austria.
