Croatia’s hidden land grab: The profitable business digging up Dalmatia

Dalmatia (Illustration)

ZAGREB, 27 July 2026 – Valuable agricultural land across parts of Dalmatia is being excavated several metres deep in an increasingly lucrative practice that authorities and local communities say is damaging farmland and the environment.

As HRT reports, the issue has been highlighted in a report examining allegations that some construction companies are digging up agricultural plots to obtain soil for landscaping around villas, hotels and holiday apartments.

According to the report, land can be purchased for around €5 per square metre, while excavated material can reportedly be sold for up to €40 per cubic metre.

Excavating several metres deep can therefore generate significant profits.

In some cases, the resulting pits have allegedly also been used for the disposal of construction and other waste.

One example is in the Grabovačko polje area, where a small excavator was filmed working on what is classified as P1 agricultural land, among the most valuable categories of agricultural soil.

“Three years have passed and no institution has done anything,” said Damir Buntić, president of the Croatian Chamber of Agriculture’s Committee for Olive Growing and Oil Production.

He warned that valuable farmland was being destroyed to provide material for developments around villas and hotels, while the excavated areas could become illegal waste sites and threaten the environment and water supplies.

In this case, after a complaint was filed, an inspection visited the site following reports of two years of excavation. As no person responsible was found at the location, inspectors requested assistance from the Šibenik-Knin Police Administration.

Police subsequently established that a person connected with the case was from Zadar County. Both police administrations are now working on the case.

A similar situation has been reported near Gaćelezi, where a former area of fertile land has been transformed into a large excavation filled with waste.

Local residents say the site has been reported to municipal wardens and other authorities over a number of years.

“It is disturbing. We have a local cemetery here and a church dating back to the 12th century. Then we come here and see this. It is like an apocalypse,” said Antonio Tabula, a member of the Gaćelezi local council.

Municipal authorities in Vodice say they have taken a number of steps, including issuing fines and notifying relevant inspection services.

The documentation relating to the case dates back to 2020, according to Blagodar Španja, head of the city’s municipal and maritime warden department.

One fine was reportedly close to €10,000. However, authorities say the penalties have not been enough to stop the activity.

“Obviously, there is a major financial interest involved,” Španja said, adding that the profits from the business appeared to outweigh the financial impact of the fines.

He said municipal wardens had limited powers and called for stronger involvement by the State Inspectorate and the State Attorney’s Office.

Calls for stronger action

Buntić said the activities potentially involve violations of several laws covering agriculture, environmental protection, mineral extraction and taxation.

He described the destruction of valuable agricultural land and the creation of illegal waste sites as a serious environmental problem requiring action at national level.

The Minister of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries, David Vlajčić, said agricultural land should not be sacrificed for tourism development.

He called on the State Inspectorate and municipal authorities to take stronger action on reported cases and said the ministry would forward any complaints to the competent authorities.

The issue highlights a wider challenge facing parts of Dalmatia, where valuable agricultural land is under growing pressure from construction and tourism development.

While authorities have issued fines and launched investigations in some cases, local officials and agricultural representatives say the scale of the profits involved can make existing penalties ineffective.

Across the Dalmatian hinterland, residents say similar excavations can be seen in numerous locations, raising concerns over the permanent loss of agricultural land and the potential environmental consequences.