Bulgaria Returns 11.6 Tons of Peppers with High Pesticide Levels to North Macedonia

Bulgarian authorities have returned 11.6 tons of fresh peppers to North Macedonia after laboratory tests found that levels of the pesticide formetanate exceeded the permitted limit, TV21 reports.

The shipment had entered Bulgarian territory through the Zlatarevo border crossing and was due to be delivered to a commercial operator in Petrich. Pending completion of the tests, the peppers were detained and stored in a refrigerated warehouse.

After the results were released, the Bulgarian Food Safety Agency decided that the entire shipment should be returned to the supplier. According to the authorities, none of the peppers reached stores or markets in Bulgaria.

There is still no information about which region of North Macedonia the peppers came from, while the names of the producer and exporter have also not been disclosed. The inspection was carried out as part of heightened checks Bulgaria is conducting on fruit and vegetables imported from Macedonia, Kosovo and Albania.