Farmers and households in Montesarchio can once again collect, eat and sell fruit and vegetables, including olives and other seasonal produce, after restrictions imposed following the 31 August fire at a storage facility in nearby Airola.
The decision, reported by NTR24 on 15 October, was taken by the mayor of Montesarchio after monitoring and sampling by ASL Benevento of plant products intended for human consumption and animal feed. The municipal notice describes the measure as Ordinance No. 30/2026, acknowledging improved air quality and revoking earlier orders while keeping attention on food safety, agriculture and animal husbandry.
What has changed
The authorization covers collection, consumption and commercial distribution of fruit and vegetables grown in Montesarchio. Olives and other autumn produce are explicitly included.
Two conditions accompany the reopening:
- normal hygiene rules apply, including the ASL recommendation to wash vegetables thoroughly before eating them;
- any specific prescriptions still in force for individual farms, plots or productions must be respected.
Montesarchio was not listed among the municipalities with continuing specific pasture restrictions cited for Bonea, Airola and Forchia.
Why restrictions were imposed
After the Airola fire, Montesarchio had adopted precautionary measures as combustion residues potentially affected crops, food and water. Earlier measures suspended the collection and consumption of fruit and vegetables from potentially affected land, and addressed food exposed in the open, unprotected water and grazing in areas considered at risk.
The October reopening therefore marks a return to normal agricultural activity for most local growers, following assessment of improved air quality and the results of ASL sampling.
Context: questions about risk data remain
The reopening came one day after mayor Carmelo Sandomenico publicly called for clearer territorial risk information. On 14 October, according to Il Sannio Quotidiano, the mayor asked ASL for official, transparent data and a specific risk map, referring to non-compliant forage samples reported in Bonea and Forchia.
That background matters for readers: the Montesarchio decision reflects sampling results for plant products in its territory, while discussion about the wider area affected by the fire was still ongoing.
What growers and buyers should check
For the harvest season now under way, two practical points are grounded in the available sources:
- Wash produce carefully. ASL specifically recommended thorough washing of vegetables before consumption.
- Check farm-level status before harvesting or selling. The general authorization does not replace any case-specific restriction that may apply to a particular farm, plot or production. When in doubt, consult the municipal ordinance and ASL guidance.
What is not yet public
The material acquired for this article does not include the full ASL sampling dataset, laboratory results or the complete text of the 15 October ordinance. It also does not specify the exact boundaries of any plots or farms still subject to individual prescriptions, nor the precise date and scope of every restriction revoked. The longer-term environmental and agricultural consequences of the fire remain outside the evidence available here.
