On October 13, 2026, activists from the international environmental organization Greenpeace staged a protest against a poultry farm complex owned by the Ukrainian agricultural holding MHP in the Veliki Pazuć area in northeastern Croatia, demanding that the project be halted due to potential environmental impacts on adjacent nature reserves.
According to Greenpeace Croatia, 12 activists climbed onto the roofs of three buildings at the poultry farm and unfurled a banner reading “Stop This Shit” covering a total area of about 500 square meters. At the same time, representatives of the Croatian environmental organizations Zelena akcija and Prijatelji životinja held a demonstration near the facility.
The protest is linked to the facility’s location within a UNESCO-recognized biosphere reserve near the border between Croatia and Hungary. Environmental organizations fear that intensive poultry farming could lead to soil, air, and water pollution from livestock waste.
According to Greenpeace, once it receives an operating permit, the facility will be able to raise approximately 1.8 million broiler chickens annually. Environmental activists estimate the potential volume of waste generated at approximately 1 million liters per year.
Of particular concern is the proximity of an ornithological reserve located approximately 320 meters from the complex. Representatives of environmental organizations believe that intensive poultry farming may pose additional risks to the environment and contribute to the spread of infectious diseases.
Dora Sivka, chair of the Croatian organization Zelena akcija, stated that the movement against the construction of large-scale poultry complexes unites ten local initiatives and enjoys the support of approximately 160 European nongovernmental organizations.
Protesters are demanding that trial operations at the facility be halted and that a final operating permit not be issued until environmental issues are resolved.
The conflict surrounding the poultry project has become part of a broader campaign against the expansion of industrial poultry farming in Croatia.
In April 2026, MHP officially abandoned its planned projects in the Sisak-Moslavina County following prolonged public protests. At the same time, investment projects in the poultry industry continue to be implemented in other regions of Croatia.
Environmental organizations link the growth of such projects to the expansion of the European poultry meat market. They advocate for stricter requirements regarding environmental impact assessments, waste management, and the location of large livestock facilities near nature conservation areas.
That said, Greenpeace’s statements regarding potential environmental pollution represent the environmental organization’s assessment. The materials presented do not confirm that pollution of the area has already occurred.
MHP is one of the largest poultry producers in Europe, an international agro-industrial group with operational assets in Ukraine and the countries of Southeast Europe. The group’s founder and majority shareholder is Ukrainian entrepreneur Yuriy Kosyuk. The company is engaged in crop farming, the production of compound feed, poultry farming, meat processing, and the production of food products. The group’s international business is expanding, in particular, through Perutnina Ptuj, which operates in the markets of the Balkan region.
Source: Greenpeace Croatia
