The state handed over more than 43,776 canned wild boar to a food bank this week, to be distributed to those in need, Maaleht reported.
The project uses meat from wild boar culled to halt the spread of African swine fever (ASF).
Over 625,000 cans were produced in total, of which the 43,776 delivered to the Tallinn Food Bank (Toidupank) — 19 pallets' worth — form part of a wider distribution and delivered by Regional and Agricultural Minister Hendrik Johannes Terras (Eesti 200).
The rest has been allocated or is being allocated to the State Defense Investment Center, the Estonian Large Families Association and local government welfare institutions across the country.
The Ministry of Regional Affairs and Agriculture organised two procurements to produce the canned meat — €1.7 million in 2025 and €959,000 for the second
The cans contain 80 percent meat, and will be distributed by social workers, and Toidupank CEO Piet Boerefijn and project manager Kerttu Olõkainen noted they give "much greater flexibility in planning food parcels, as they don't have to be packed as quickly" – the cans can keep for up to a couple of years.
To keep aid consistent, the Food Bank must hold reserves and, where needed, buy basic foodstuffs, as around 4,000 food parcels of 7-12 kilograms are needed each week; contents depend on donations and food rescued from going to waste.
"The aim of a food parcel is not to provide a four-person family with a week's food, but to help them save on food costs and use the money saved for other necessities, such as winter clothes or school supplies," Boerefijn explained.
In addition to aid to those in need in normal times, Toidupank has set up a nationwide network which could provide up to 10,000 crisis aid parcels, pending agreements with the state and local governments.
The original Maaleht piece is here.
ASF reached epidemic proportions in Estonia last year with 11 outbreaks on pig farms, which to the culling of around 60,000 domestic pigs as well as close to 17,000 wild boar. The outbreak led to the closure of several meat businesses and an estimated €22 million in economic damage .
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