Over 19 tonnes and more than 28,000 litres of agricultural materials have been seized from warehouses belonging to a major agricultural holding in Vardim, near Svishtov. The seized inventory included plant protection products and fertilizers that were banned for use in Bulgaria, lacked Bulgarian-language labeling, or had passed their expiration dates. Inspectors from the Bulgarian Food Safety Agency (BFSA) inspected three storage facilities.
The BFSA reported that only one warehouse was officially licensed for the wholesale trade of such goods, while the other two operated without proper regulation. In the licensed facility, authorities found 17.5 tonnes and 510 litres of banned fertilizers lacking Bulgarian labels, alongside 530 litres of expired fertilizers. This same site also held 49 tonnes of sugar beet sugar labeled in Ukrainian.
The unregulated warehouses revealed 10,380 litres and 1.875 tonnes of banned plant protection products without required Bulgarian labeling, along with 16,725 litres of expired substances. Additionally, 10 tonnes of sugar, stored in violation of safety rules, were confiscated. Expired pesticides and fertilizers are slated for destruction, and all banned imported products will undergo further inspection by relevant authorities.
A final disposition regarding the seized sugar has not been issued, but it is anticipated that the product will not enter the retail market. Multiple governmental bodies, including the National Police General Directorate and the National Customs Agency, have been informed of the violations. These inspections are part of Operation SILVER AXE, a coordinated effort by Europol and the European Anti-Fraud Office to curb the illegal import and distribution of unregistered pesticides and fertilizers across the EU.
Topics: #tonnes #banned #fertilizers
