The Service for the Clearance and Destruction of Explosive Equipment (DOVO) collected a record number of rounds of ammunition in the province of West Flanders last year.
At 2,712 rounds, this is approximately 25% more than in 2024, said West Flanders provincial council member Kurt Himpe (N-VA), citing figures from Defence Minister Theo Francken (N-VA).
Last year, DOVO collected 4,093 rounds of ammunition, 66% of which were in West Flanders. This is certainly no surprise, especially given the First World War, which was fought in the province for years, said Himpe.
At the DOVO site in Poelkapelle, there are currently 8,151 projectiles awaiting destruction, of which 6,542 are conventional, and 1,609 are toxic, said Himpe. Over the past five years, 10,000 rounds of ammunition have been destroyed, of which just over 1,000 will be destroyed in 2025.
"It's impossible to estimate when the remaining ammunition stockpile will actually decrease, as there has been a continuous influx of projectiles to date," concluded provincial council member Kurt Himpe.
