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The early 20th century in Croatia was marked with advancements in veterinary science, including some major improvements in the development of veterinary medicine in Slavonia. This was primarily seen in more successful prevention and control of infectious diseases in animals. There was more intensive cattle breeding and breeding of more productive and superior animal breeds demanding more care and work. The role of veterinarians became all the more important.
For successful control of infectious and parasitic diseases, it was necessary to have a safe diagnostics, which was impossible without laboratories. All this has led the veterinarians of the Srijem County to bring out the proposal on the establishing of the Veterinary Institute Vinkovci. This included the district veterinarian Đuro Kopić. When he started his duty, he realised that considering the specific features of the veterinarian and cattle-breeding circumstances in Slavonija, Veterinary Institute in Vinkovci should be established.
After Prof. Šima Debelić, PhD, was appointed Head of Veterinary Department of the National Administration, the idea started becoming the reality. In late 1939, the first drawings were made and the construction works started. The works were interrupted with the outbreak of the 2nd World War. The incomplete building was occupied by the German Army in 1944. They furnished only what was indispensable and placed their hospital in it. After the WW2, the building was a hospital for the Partisan army for a short period of time.
As the building was empty, its refurbishing was started. Based on the Decision of the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry of 6 April 1946, veterinarian Đuro Kopić was appointed the first Director of the Institute. However, its official start of operation of the Institute (although still incomplete) was 1 January 1947, when in addition to the Institute Director, Dr. Ivan Horvatić, another lab technician and one clerk were employed.
In 1978, the Veterinary Institute Vinkovci employees joined the Veterinary Institute Zagreb and the Veterinary Institutes in Križevci, Rijeka and Split, as well as the Central Institute for Breeding and Reproduction in Zagreb into a single organisation under the name Veterinary Institutes of Croatia, Zagreb.
The most difficult years for the Institute since its establishing started in summer 1991, with the aggression on the Republic of Croatia. Beginning from 14 September 1991, the town of Vinkovci was systematically destroyed on daily basis and civilians were wounded and killed. After the fall of Vukovar, Vinkovci were the easternmost town in Croatia. Working in such conditions was almost impossible. The Institute employees came to work on regular basis, and the work was reduced to the minimum. Contacts with our partners were more and more difficult. At the time of the fiercest attacks on the town, our employees continued receiving samples, primarily of water and meat products from the Vinkovci slaughterhouse, and conducted laboratory tests.
The Institute started working in weekly shifts, and our experts that were not working went to the Croatian Veterinary Institute Zagreb, Public Health Institute of the City of Zagreb and the Croatian Public Health Institute in Zagreb for training and introduction into the newest diagnostic methods.
In late March 1992, despite daily bomb-shelling, the Institute employees went into the field and provided all services they had used to provide before the aggression. Due to severe damages of the Vinkovci hospital, the Institute accepted and provided premises its entire microbiological laboratory.
The Institute building was not directly hit by bombs but it suffered severe damages due to broken glass, damaged water supply and central heating installations, which caused flood and major damages. However, the activities gradually normalized.
CROATIAN VETERINARY INSTITUTE ZAGREB was established based on the Act on Scientific Research and the Act on Institutions from 1993, with the Decision of the Commercial Court of Zagreb dated 28 July 1995.
One of its branches is the Veterinary Institute Vinkovci.
The Institute in Zagreb, including its branch in Vinkovci, are engaged in scientific research and diagnostics in veterinary medicine.
The primary task of the Veterinary Institute in Vinkovci is to provide the following services in the epizootiological area formed by the Counties of Vukovar-Srijem, Osijek-Baranja, Slavonski Brod-Posavina, Virovitica-Podravina (except former Municipality of Virovitica) and Požega-Slavonija (except former Municipality of Pakrac):
- field and laboratory diagnostics of infectious, parasitic and other animal diseases,
- testing of safety and quality of food,
- testing of safety and quality of animal feed, raw materials and additives,
- testing of safety of drinking water,
- testing of waste water based on an authorisation by the National Waters Authority.
Currently Croatian Veterinary Institute – Veterinary Institute Vinkovci has 29 employees, performing their work in 4 laboratories:
1. Laboratory for Diagnostics V-1,
2. Laboratory for Food and Feed Microbiology V-2,
3. Laboratory for Analytical Chemistry and Residues V-3,
4. Laboratory for Sterilization and Culture Media Preparation V-4,
Veterinary Institute Vinkovci has 11 employees with university degree: 6 doctors of veterinary medicine and 4 graduated engineers of food technology. Four employees have PhD degree, 2 of them are research associates and several others are attending the postgraduate doctoral course of studies.
Since 2005, all laboratories have been gradually refurbished and the new laboratory equipment has been procured. With the World Bank funding, we are currently in the final stage of the building refurbishing and the same funds have been used to purchase the new laboratory equipment.
At the same time, we started the preparations for accreditation of our laboratories according to standard HRN EN ISO 17025, and since 2008 all our laboratories have been accredited, with the expansion of the accreditation field with new methods every year.
Through its history, the Institute has been an important factor in the protection of animal health, human health and environment.
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