Croatia Intensifies Fight Against African Swine Fever Amid Rising Wild Boar Infections

Croatia’s struggle with African swine fever (ASF) has intensified in 2025, with authorities implementing aggressive control measures as infection rates among wild boars reach alarming levels. The government’s recent decision to cull wild boars in four eastern regions has sparked controversy and misinformation on social media, despite being based on scientific evidence and European Union regulations.

According to the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry, and Fisheries, 380 ASF cases in wild boars had been confirmed by October 30, including 361 in the Osijek-Baranja region and 19 in the Vukovar-Srijem region. Of these, 169 wild boars died from the disease, while 211 cases were detected in hunted animals.

Data from the European Animal Disease Information System (ADIS) shows a dramatic increase in outbreaks, with 221 recorded among wild boars in Croatia by mid-November 2025, compared to just 39 during the same period in 2024 and only 13 for the entire year of 2023.

On October 10, the ministry announced “the complete culling of wild boars” in affected areas to create what officials termed a “buffer zone” between infected wild populations and domestic pig farms. The measure targets four eastern regions: Virovitica-Podravina, Požega-Slavonia, Brod-Posavina, and Osijek-Baranja.

“This measure creates a buffer zone to prevent the virus from spreading to new areas,” the ministry stated in its announcement.

The stakes are high for Croatia’s pork industry. With more than 873,000 pigs on farms in 2024 and exports exceeding 285,600 animals worth approximately €57 million, controlling the disease is crucial for the agricultural economy, especially in the eastern Slavonian counties where pig farming dominates livestock production.

Despite these facts, social media posts have falsely claimed there are no infected wild boars in Croatia and that the culling lacks scientific justification. One widely shared open letter attributed to Nada Jurinčić, a retired pediatrician previously known for spreading misinformation about vaccines, claimed: “There are no reported cases of death of wild boars or clinical signs of disease in the free population.”

Other misleading posts suggested that if ASF truly had a mortality rate approaching 100%, wild boars should already be “extinct” after two years of the disease’s presence in Croatia.

Dr. Lorena Jemerešić, scientific advisor and head of the Croatian Veterinary Institute, confirmed to AFP that the country employs rigorous testing methods. “The laboratory conducts the most sensitive and specific diagnostic method, the real-time polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR),” she explained. The test detects “highly specific DNA segments of the ASF virus” with 97.77% sensitivity and 100% specificity.

Croatia began monitoring for ASF years before its first detection, implementing an active surveillance program as the virus approached neighboring countries. “From 2019 to the end of 2022, a total of 17,102 wild boars were tested,” Jemerešić noted.

The measures implemented by Croatian authorities align with European Commission regulations for controlling ASF. These include movement restrictions for pigs and pork products, establishing infected and at-risk zones, intensified monitoring, hunting controls, and proper carcass disposal—all aimed at preventing transmission between wild and domestic pigs.

Professor Dr. Zoran Luković from the University of Zagreb’s Faculty of Agriculture explained that while “buffer zone” may not be the most common terminology, the concept is valid: “This zone is typically an ‘ASF-free’ area, meaning that the virus is not detected there, but strict surveillance and biosecurity measures are implemented to prevent any potential spread from the neighboring infected zone.”

Regarding ecological concerns, experts note that wild boar populations have grown beyond natural levels in recent years, aided by climate change, abundant food, and lack of natural predators.

“Completely removing wild boars from the ecosystem will not have immediate negative effects; on the contrary, some species will gain an opportunity they had lost due to the unnaturally high number of wild boars,” said Ivan Budinski, a senior conservation specialist from the environmental association BIOM.

With no authorized ASF vaccine available in the European Union, these preventive measures represent the primary defense against a disease that threatens both wildlife and a significant economic sector. African swine fever, which causes high fever, internal bleeding, and vomiting in pigs, has been reported in 69 countries worldwide since January 2022, affecting over one million domestic pigs and nearly 40,000 wild boars.