Food safety agency finds nearly 86 tonnes of illegal plant protection products
Most were found during Europol's SILVER AXE XI operation. Inspectors carried out 1,209 checks, and three cases were referred to prosecutors.
Symbolic image · Photo: Maasaak / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0 (cropped and resized)
Bulgaria's Food Safety Agency (BFSA) has found nearly 86 tonnes of illegal plant protection products since the start of 2026, BNT reported. Most of the quantity was uncovered during the international operation SILVER AXE XI, coordinated by Europol, in which the agency took part for the eighth time. Inspectors carried out 1,209 checks nationwide at shops, unlicensed warehouses, farms and on products for parallel trade.
Violations included unauthorised and expired products, sales outside licensed outlets, missing labels or labels only in a foreign language, unlicensed repackaging and preparations with unapproved active substances, including neonicotinoids. A joint check with the State Agency for National Security (DANS) uncovered products repackaged in packaging labelled as food or household goods. Inspectors also found online sales of unauthorised products via Facebook, after which the sellers' premises and a vehicle were checked together with the police.
Twenty-five violation reports were drawn up under the Plant Protection Act, and three cases were referred to prosecutors, who opened pre-trial proceedings. The illegal products were seized or placed under a ban on sale and use.