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.

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A shipment of 11.6 tons of fresh peppers has been returned to North Macedonia by Bulgarian authorities after laboratory tests found that the presence of the pesticide formetanate exceeded the permitted limit.

The shipment had entered Bulgarian territory through the Zlatarevo border crossing and was due to be delivered to a commercial operator in Petrich. Until the test results were available, the peppers were blocked and stored in a refrigerated warehouse.

After the tests were completed, the Bulgarian Food Safety Agency decided that the entire shipment should be returned to the supplier. According to the authorities, the products did not reach stores or markets in Bulgaria.

Data has not yet been published on the area of North Macedonia from which the peppers originated, while the identities of the producer and exporter are also unknown. The inspection is being carried out as part of intensified checks Bulgaria is conducting on fruit and vegetables imported from North Macedonia, Kosovo and Albania.

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In the Pelagonia region, farmers have reported major damage from hail to tobacco plantations. They are calling on the responsible institutions to go into the field, record the damage and take measures to compensate the losses.

Asked about the assessment of the damage and compensation, Prime Minister Hristijan Mickoski gave a brief response, saying that the damage would be compensated, but without providing further details.

“Will you provide compensation for farmers who suffered damage from the bad weather?” “As for compensation for the farmers, yes, of course,” said Hristijan Mickoski, Prime Minister.

In the village of Shishovë in the Municipality of Saraj, after the hailstorm, a farmer published footage from a field planted with melons, which he said was damaged almost entirely.

Farmers from Strumica have also shared footage of damaged watermelon, which they say was ready to go to market, but was completely destroyed by the hail.

Regarding compensation for the consequences caused by hail and rainfall in previous years, according to the information, there are still farmers in different regions who say they have not received compensation from previous years.

In addition to the consequences for agricultural production, the rainfall has also caused difficulties for rural infrastructure, damaging local roads and drainage systems. Authorities said that a crisis headquarters has been formed, while inspectors are expected to go into the field in the coming days to carry out a full assessment of the situation./Alsat/

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