Authorities seized over 19 tonnes and more than 28,000 litres of plant protection products and fertilizers from warehouses belonging to a large agricultural holding in Vardim, near Svishtov. The materials were confiscated because they were either banned for use in Bulgaria, lacked Bulgarian-language labeling, or had expired. Inspectors from the Bulgarian Food Safety Agency (BFSA) examined three storage facilities.
The Agency reported that while only one warehouse was officially licensed for wholesale storage, the other two operated without proper authorization. In the licensed facility, inspectors discovered 17.5 tonnes and 510 litres of banned fertilizers lacking required Bulgarian labels, alongside 530 litres of expired fertilizers. The same site also contained 49 tonnes of sugar sourced from sugar beets bearing Ukrainian labels.
The two unregulated warehouses yielded further violations, including 10,380 litres and 1.875 tonnes of banned plant protection products without correct labeling, and 16,725 litres of expired substances. Additionally, 10 tonnes of sugar were seized for violating safety regulations. Authorities confirmed that expired pesticides and fertilizers will be destroyed, and all banned imported products are subject to further official inspection.
While a final determination on the seized sugar has not been made, it is unlikely to be released to the retail market. The inspections are part of Operation SILVER AXE, an effort coordinated by Europol and supported by the European Anti-Fraud Office to curb the illegal import and distribution of unregistered pesticides and
Topics: #tonnes #banned #fertilizers
It’s concerning that such large quantities of potentially banned or improperly labeled agricultural chemicals were found in storage.