Croatia Divided Over Giant Chicken Project

First, Where Is This?

The project is planned near Sisak, a small city in central Croatia.

Croatia is a European Union country in Southeast Europe. Sisak is about one hour by car from the capital city, Zagreb.

The region is mostly rural. It has farms, forests, and protected natural areas. It is also still recovering from strong earthquakes that happened in recent years.

Now, this quiet area may become home to one of the biggest chicken production systems in this part of Europe.

What Is the Plan?

The investor is Premium Chicken Company, a company linked to Ukrainian capital.

The company wants to build:

Several large chicken farms
A large slaughterhouse in Sisak
A factory to produce animal feed
Other support buildings

The numbers are very large:

Up to 150,000 tonnes of chicken meat per year
Around 82 million chickens processed each year
About 3,000 new jobs
Total investment: more than €600 million
More than 90% of the meat would be exported

For comparison: Croatia currently produces about 85,000 tonnes of chicken per year. This project alone could almost double that amount.

Why Some People Support It

Supporters say the project can help the region.

They believe it will:

Create thousands of jobs
Bring new money into the local economy
Increase food production
Strengthen Croatia’s agriculture sector

Agriculture Minister David Vlajčić said investment is welcome, but only if it follows the law and does not harm local farmers or the environment.

The company says it respects all environmental rules. It also announced that it will not build a planned biogas plant in Sisak after public concerns.

Why Many People Are Angry

Many local citizens and activists strongly oppose the project.

They say:

The project is too big for the region.
Roads and energy systems are not strong enough.
It could harm nature and water resources.
Farms are planned near a gas storage site, which raises safety concerns.

Some critics call the project an “ecological mega-bomb.”

Marijana Petir, who leads the parliamentary Agriculture Committee, asked for a full environmental study of the entire project, not just smaller parts.

Animal rights activist Luka Oman said the project would damage animals, nature, and the future of the region.

Protests are being planned in Zagreb.

The City’s Position

The mayor of Sisak, Domagoj Orlić, says the slaughterhouse project does not fit the city’s current spatial planning rules.

He says:

The location is not allowed under current plans.
The city stopped changes that would make construction easier.
All projects must fully respect existing laws.

What Happens Next?

Environmental impact studies are still ongoing.
Politicians are discussing the issue.
Public protests are expected.

No final decision has been made.

For many people, this is a simple question:

Is this a chance for economic growth — or a risk that is too big for a small region?

Croatia is now watching closely.

Sources: