Over 19 tonnes and more than 28,000 litres of plant protection products and fertilizers were seized from warehouses belonging to a major agricultural holding in Vardim, near Svishtov. The seized materials were found to be banned for use in Bulgaria, lacking Bulgarian-language labeling, or past their expiration dates. Inspectors from the Bulgarian Food Safety Agency (BFSA) inspected three storage warehouses.
The BFSA reported that only one facility was officially registered for the wholesale trade of such goods; the other two were found to be unregulated. In the licensed warehouse, authorities discovered 17.5 tonnes and 510 litres of banned fertilizers lacking Bulgarian labels, alongside 530 litres of expired fertilizers. This facility also held 49 tonnes of sugar from sugar beet bearing Ukrainian labels.
Within the unregulated warehouses, officials found 10,380 litres and 1.875 tonnes of banned plant protection products without Bulgarian labels, in addition to 16,725 litres of expired substances. An extra 10 tonnes of sugar, stored in violation of safety rules, was also confiscated. Expired pesticides and fertilizers are scheduled for destruction, and all banned imported products will undergo further review by appropriate authorities.
A final determination regarding the seized sugar has not been issued, but it is expected not to enter the retail market. Multiple agencies, including the National Police General Directorate and the National Customs Agency, have been informed of the violations. These BFSA inspections are part of Operation SILVER AXE, a coordinated effort by Europol and the European Anti-Fraud Office aimed at curbing the illegal import and distribution of unregistered pesticides and fertilizers across the EU.
Topics: #tonnes #banned #fertilizers
