Of Tonnes of Banned Pesticides, Fertilizers Seized Near Svishtov

Over 19 tonnes and more than 28,000 litres of plant protection products and fertilizers have been seized from warehouses belonging to a large 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) examined three storage warehouses containing significant quantities of agricultural inputs.

The BFSA reported that only one of the facilities was officially registered for the wholesale trade and storage of such goods, while the other two operated without proper regulation. Within the licensed warehouse, authorities discovered 17.5 tonnes and 510 litres of banned fertilizers lacking proper Bulgarian labels, alongside 530 litres of expired fertilizers. This same location also held 49 tonnes of sugar beet sugar labeled in Ukrainian.

In the two unregulated warehouses, officials located 10,380 litres and 1.875 tonnes of banned plant protection products without required Bulgarian labeling, as well as 16,725 litres of expired substances. Additionally, 10 tonnes of sugar were seized due to storage violations. Expired pesticides and fertilizers are slated for destruction, and all banned imported products will undergo further official inspection.

A final decision regarding the seized sugar has not been issued, though it is confirmed the material will not enter 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 designed to curb the illegal import and distribution of unregistered pesticides and fertilizers across the EU.

Topics: #tonnes #banned #fertilizers