Sofia is tightening control over imported agricultural products, and for Ukrainian seeds it has already been directly announced that checks for pesticide residues will be carried out. Every consignment arriving in the country will be subject to control.

All imports of sunflower seeds from Ukraine will be monitored and tested for pesticide residues.

The decision on Ukrainian supplies continues the stricter control of imported raw materials. At the end of May, the Bulgarian Food Safety Agency introduced round-the-clock supervision during the unloading of every vessel carrying sunflower seeds from third countries.

The procedure goes beyond laboratory sampling. During the inspection of Argentine sunflower seeds, every truck was registered and sealed in the port of Varna, and the movement of the cargo was tracked further along the logistics chain. This system allows the imported consignment to be controlled from unloading to the place of storage or processing.

The reason for the intensified oversight was non-compliances detected in the spring in imported sunflower seeds from Argentina. In some consignments, Bulgarian laboratories recorded exceedances of maximum residue levels for pesticides. These cases concerned Argentine raw materials, not supplies from Ukraine.

Ukrainian sunflower seeds are directly affected by another measure – laboratory testing of every consignment for pesticide residues. Plamen Abrovski’s statement does not mention any restrictions or suspension of supplies, so there are no grounds to interpret the decision as a trade ban.

Laboratory tests will assess whether the product complies with the maximum residue levels for pesticides permitted in the EU.

Reference source: http://surl.li/ghpqazxctrrrrr