Authorities in Bulgaria have seized a significant amount of agricultural supplies following inspections conducted by the Bulgarian Food Safety Agency (BFSA) in a large agricultural holding near Svishtov. The seizure included over 19 tonnes and more than 28,000 litres of plant protection products and fertilizers that were either banned for use in Bulgaria, lacked Bulgarian-language labeling, or had passed their expiration dates. Inspectors examined three warehouses.
The BFSA reported that only one facility was officially licensed for the wholesale storage of such goods; the other two were operating without proper authorization. In the licensed warehouse, inspectors found 530 litres of expired fertilizers and 17.5 tonnes of banned fertilizers that lacked required Bulgarian labeling. Additionally, 49 tonnes of sugar sourced from sugar beet, labeled in Ukrainian, were discovered there.
The unregulated warehouses yielded further violations, including 10,380 litres and 1.875 tonnes of banned plant protection products without proper labeling, alongside 16,725 litres of expired substances. Authorities also seized an additional 10 tonnes of sugar stored in violation of safety regulations. Expired pesticides and fertilizers are slated for destruction, and all banned imported products will undergo further review by relevant authorities.
A final determination regarding the seized sugar has not been made, but it is expected not to be released to the retail market. These inspections are part of Operation SILVER AXE, an initiative coordinated by Europol and supported by the European Anti-Fraud Office, aimed at curbing the illegal import and distribution of unregistered agricultural chemicals within the EU. Multiple national agencies were notified of the detected violations.
Topics: #tonnes #banned #fertilizers
What specific types of banned pesticides and fertilizers were seized?