Peppers from North Macedonia with pesticides: Bulgaria destroys 9.5 tons, second case in a month

A new shipment of peppers, weighing 9,502 kilograms and originating from North Macedonia, will be destroyed after laboratory tests in Bulgaria detected pesticide residues exceeding the maximum permitted limit. As a result, the peppers were not allowed to enter either the Bulgarian market or the distribution network within the European Union.

This irregularity was discovered during enhanced controls carried out on fresh fruits and vegetables destined for the local market.

The Bulgarian Food Safety Agency has announced that the entire quantity will be sent for destruction.

This is the second incident of this nature recorded in less than a month. In August, inspectors blocked a shipment of 11.6 tons, where tests showed the presence of the pesticide formetanate in concentrations exceeding the permitted limit.

With the addition of the new 9.5 tons, the total of peppers from North Macedonia that have failed to clear controls for market entry has now exceeded 21 tons. The Bulgarian agency stresses that these are two completely separate consignments, discovered during enhanced inspections.

For the new shipment, the type of active substance detected has not yet been disclosed, nor the concentration value measured in the laboratory, nor by how much the permitted limit was exceeded. Likewise, the specific place of production in North Macedonia, the border crossing through which the goods entered, the production batch, and the date of sampling remain unknown.

The lack of this data makes it impossible to determine whether the two shipments are linked to the same producer, collection center, or agricultural region. Similarly, the seriousness of the health risk cannot be assessed, as the exact type and level of pesticide measured in the latest shipment are not known.

On the other hand, the competent authorities in North Macedonia, such as the Food and Veterinary Agency and the State Inspectorate of Agriculture, have not yet provided explanations regarding the origin of the new shipment or the identified pesticide.