Minister of Regional Development, Water Management, and Forestry Petar Cobankovic of Croatia

Addressing the parliament, Croatian Agriculture Minister Petar Cobankovic said that Croatia was the first European state that managed to isolate the virus on wild birds, thus preventing it from spreading onto poultry and causing major damage to the economy.

Citing laws and regulations, Cobankovic said part of the poultry in areas where the virus had been detected had to be culled to prevent the virus from spreading.

Earlier in the week, Cobankovic said that the ban on keeping poultry in the open would be lifted on Friday, on condition poultry was kept in enclosed spaces.

Minister if Agruculture Petar Cobankovic said that all farmers that will lose their crops in the campaign will be compensated, and no one will suffer the damages.

Today, Cobankovic is also scheduled to meet Vice-Premier Zivko Jankulovski and Economy Minister Vera Rafajlovska.

In Croatia, Minister of Agriculture Petar Cobankovic said "there is no room for panic" in the wake of the country confirming its first cases of bird flu, in wild migratory swans.

Minister Petar Cobankovic said the government would pay some 0.

Cobankovic said he did not expect economic damage from this case as Croatia imports cattle from the European Union and is therefore regarded as having the same risk status.

the original herd still remain at the farm, as well as what is their condition.

The Minister of Agriculture Petar Cobankovic said that several kilometers from the scene that "there is no room for panic.

Cobankovic said that other measures prescribed by the EU were also put in place, such as bans on poultry distribution and closure of free-range bird sites.

Agriculture Minister Petar Cobankovic said on Tuesday Croatia was the first country in which bird flu appeared yet from which the European Commission (EC) had not banned the export of poultry meat.

Cobankovic said the killing of poultry within three kilometres from the Grudnjak fish farm was completed.

Croatia had detected bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE) in a dead heifer, in the country's first case of mad cow disease, Croatian Agriculture Minister Petar Cobankovic said at an urgent news conference on Thursday evening.

Cobankovic said that test ran by the Zagreb Veterinary Institute pointed to mad cow disease, adding that brain samples from the five-year old heifer had been sent to the Weybridge laboratory in Britain for definite confirmation.

Cobankovic said authorities had complied with European Union measures on banning poultry distribution and ordering free-range birds to be kept indoors.

Cobankovic said the experts will determine how many horses from the original herd still remain at the farm, as well as their condition.

Agriculture Minister Petar Cobankovic said after the meeting that Lactalis was an impressive company with great potentials.