On the 20th of May 2022, WOAH (ex OIE) approved Belgium’s self-declaration on the recovery of the free status of highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) viruses in poultry. Belgium was free of HPAI in poultry from 27 April 2022 to 20 September 2022. This status was lost following an outbreak in one poultry farm on the 21st of September 2022.
Several cases of salmonellosis have been reported in Europe since end 2021. At the end of March, a link was suspected between these infections and the Ferrero factory in Arlon (Belgium) based on epidemiological data. This link has been confirmed since then by WGS analysis. The FASFC has been conducting a thorough investigation at Ferrero Arlon to find the source of the contamination.
After being absent in Belgium for over 3 decades, African Swine Fever (ASF) reappeared in our country on the 13th of September 2018 in wild boar in the municipality of Etalle (most southern part of Belgium). Adequate measures for management of wild boar and domestic pigs have immediately been put in place by the competent authorities through the establishment of a double zoning (an inner high-risk zone surrounded by a buffer zone). Furthermore, adequate measures are also being taken for the whole of Belgium.