Imagine this – a herd of 25 cows and calves from Svilaja, which have already devastated the grass and water sources on the mountain, have now descended into the surroundings of Drniš and are destroying everything in their path! Vegetable gardens, vineyards, orchards, olive groves – nothing is safe. Farmers have been suffering damages worth tens of thousands of euros for 20 years, and authorities still have no solution.
Berislav Goreta, who grows vegetables with his brothers in Kadina Glavica, is desperate as cows destroyed his potatoes, beans, broke olive trees and fruit trees. “I don’t know how much longer I can endure this!” he says while carrying buckets of water to irrigate his ruined crops.
Ivica Baković, a former veteran and ecological farmer, has already given up on his vines because cows destroyed his wheat this winter. Locals say the cattle belong to one family from Kanjani, whom they have been reporting to the police and inspections for years, but to no avail.
Two days ago, Berislav removed the ear tags from the cows and handed them over to the police, but the owner refuses to cooperate. The police forwarded the case to the state prosecutor and veterinary inspection, but residents are at the end of their patience. The damage is estimated at around 13,000 euros, the same amount as last year.
The new mayor of Drniš promises to again request the inspection team’s visit and a public call to find a company that will promptly remove the cattle from public areas. But until a solution is found, farmers are left on their own, and the question is how much longer they can endure this injustice.
If the state protects the negligent owner, who will protect the farmers? Is vigilantism the only solution? This is not just a problem of one village; it is an alarm for all of us who love and value working the land.
What do you think about this chaos? Would you react differently? Drop a comment, maybe your idea will spark the solution!
