The Federal Agency for the Safety of the Food Chain (FASFC) urges travellers returning from Eastern Europe, Germany, Italy, or Greece to avoid bringing back meat products and to manage their food waste with caution due to the presence of African Swine Fever in these countries.
The FASFC specifically advises against bringing pork products such as salami or cured sausages into Belgium from these regions. Food waste, especially leftovers containing meat like ham sandwiches, should always be disposed of in a closed bin, and never left beside an overflowing bin at motorway service areas.
African Swine Fever is a highly contagious viral disease that poses a serious threat to pigs and wild boars, often resulting in death. Although harmless to humans, the FASFC emphasises that Belgium has been free from the disease for several years and is taking measures to maintain this status.
However, the situation elsewhere in Europe is less favourable, with numerous cases reported in Eastern Europe, Germany, and Italy. In mid-June, a case of African Swine Fever was detected in a wild boar just 180 kilometres from the Belgian border in Germany’s North Rhine-Westphalia, likely spread by human activity. In Northern Italy, the virus is present in an area as large as half of Belgium.
