Authorities in Bulgaria have seized over 19 tonnes of plant protection products and fertilizers, along with more than 28,000 litres of such materials, from a large agricultural holding in Vardim, near Svishtov. The seized inventory included goods that were banned for use in Bulgaria, lacked Bulgarian-language labeling, or had passed their expiration dates. The premises are currently secured by police forces.
Inspectors from the Bulgarian Food Safety Agency (BFSA) inspected three warehouses storing substantial quantities of agricultural chemicals. The BFSA reported that only one warehouse was officially licensed for the storage and wholesale trade of these goods, while the other two operated without proper regulation. In the licensed facility, inspectors found 17.5 tonnes and 510 litres of banned fertilizers lacking Bulgarian labels, alongside 530 litres of expired fertilizers.
This same site also contained 49 tonnes of sugar from sugar beet labeled in Ukrainian. Within the unregulated warehouses, authorities discovered 10,380 litres and 1.875 tonnes of banned plant protection products without required Bulgarian labeling, in addition to 16,725 litres of expired substances. An extra 10 tonnes of sugar, stored in violation of safety regulations, were also confiscated.
Expired pesticides and fertilizers are slated for destruction, and all banned imported products will undergo further official inspection. A final determination regarding the seized sugar remains pending, though it is expected not to reach the retail market. Multiple state agencies, 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 combat the illegal import and distribution of unregistered pesticides and fertilizers across the EU.
Topics: #tonnes #banned #fertilizers
It’s concerning that such large amounts of banned agricultural chemicals are being found in the supply chain.