Kriva Palanka asks Government to declare 30‑day emergency after over 1,000 cattle roam town
Municipality requests extra personnel, equipment and a one‑week operational plan from the Food and Veterinary Agency to stop damage to fields and property.
The Municipality of Kriva Palanka has urged the Government to declare a 30‑day state of emergency after more than 1,000 cattle have been roaming uncontrolled across the town, causing widespread damage to crops, private property and municipal infrastructure.
Municipal officials say the situation has persisted for years, with local farmers reporting daily material losses. The municipal crisis staff warned that local and national bodies currently involved lack the personnel and equipment to cope with the scale of the problem, and asked the Government to allocate extra staff, funds and a coordinated operational plan with clear responsibilities and deadlines.
Municipality demands rapid central response
"More than 1,000 head of cattle are moving uncontrolled across the municipality's territory, destroying agricultural crops and damaging private and municipal property. Citizens, especially farmers, suffer serious material damage and financial losses every day. The crisis staff assessed that the available capacities of the Food and Veterinary Agency and the Agency for Management of Seized Property are insufficient in relation to the scope of the problem. Therefore, the Government is requested, through the proposed state of emergency, to provide additional personnel, equipment, financial resources and a coordinated operational plan with clear responsibilities and deadlines," said the Municipality of Kriva Palanka.
Alongside the request for an emergency declaration, the municipality has asked the Food and Veterinary Agency (FVA) to produce an operational plan within one week and to act immediately on final and enforceable decisions from 2024. The municipality wants concrete field actions without waiting for the Government's final decision.
The FVA has been formally asked to deliver the week‑long plan and to begin implementing enforcement measures already concluded in 2024. Officials from the agency have previously indicated logistical limits and said cattle cannot be rounded up instantly, but the municipality says immediate, coordinated action is necessary to prevent further losses.
Photo: Arhivska fotografija)
