A large portion of US contraceptive supplies that Belgium has been trying for months to save from destruction is now likely to be incinerated after being moved to an unsuitable warehouse, Flemish Environment Minister Jo Bouns has confirmed.
Twenty of the 24 truckloads of contraceptives –part of a €10 million stock owned by the US Agency for International Development (USAID) – were recently transferred from a storage site in Geel to another facility in Kallo, near Antwerp, which is not equipped to store medicines, the minister said on Wednesday in response to a question from a Belgian Green MP.
Belgium’s Federal Agency for Medicines and Health Products confirmed that the medicines contained in those 20 trucks can no longer be reintroduced into circulation due to improper storage conditions. However, the medical devices stored in Kallo, such as intrauterine devices (IUDs) and syringes used for contraceptive injections, could still be used.
Failed diplomatic efforts
The announcement comes as Belgium has been seeking diplomatic solutions for several months to save the USAID stockpile, following reports that Washington intended to destroy it. The US agency’s aid and development activities have been largely dismantled since Donald Trump’s return to the White House.
In July, several media outlets revealed that Washington planned to destroy the stockpile, at a cost of roughly $160,000. NGOs reportedly offered to buy the contraceptives but were rebuffed by the US administration.
“It’s purely ideological,” Sarah Durocher, president of the French Family Planning Association, told Euractiv.
The stocks from the remaining four trucks in Geel are still considered usable. Belgian law also prohibits the destruction of medicines and medical devices that can still be used.
Possible exemption?
While exemptions can be requested, Bouns confirmed that no such request has been filed to date – meaning that destroying the truckloads would currently be illegal.
The enforcement of the incineration ban to legally block the destruction falls under Flemish competence. The Flemish government has not adopted an official position on this issue.
“My cabinet and administration nevertheless remain in close contact with the federal Minister of Foreign Affairs, as diplomatic discussions are crucial to enable the reuse of these products,” Bouns concluded.
(bms, aw)
