Outgoing Prime Minister Kiril Petkov said that an audit was conducted at the Kapitan Andreevo checkpoint on the Bulgarian-Turkish border. "For 12 hours a day over the course of four days, the checkpoint was audited by experts from the European Commission's Directorate-General for Health and Food Safety (DG SANTE). The final report will be published in the fall, but we urge for this to happen as soon as possible," Petkov said. According to preliminary data, the auditors have found numerous violations as part of the previous practices, which raise a number of questions. One such question is whether fruits and vegetable with unacceptably high levels of pesticides were allowed to be imported over the past ten years, he said. According to the latest findings, the pesticide levels in fruits and vegetables which reached Bulgarian and European consumers were up to five times above the norm.
The monetary losses and foregone benefits suffered by the State over the past ten years are estimated at least BGN 250 million, Petkov said. Thanks to the team the Government's efforts, represented by the Bulgarian Food Safety Agency and the Agriculture Ministry, the State has regained its control over foods. "We can now guarantee the high safety of foods for Bulgarian and European consumers, which comply with all standards enforced at any other European border. This means healthier Bulgarian children and citizens. Thanks to the Government's efforts, almost BGN 50 million additional leva will go to the State each year. It took us just six months to accomplish all of this," Petkov said.
Earlier on Sunday, BTA hosted a news conference about the the results of phyto-sanitary, health and veterinary control at the Kapitan Andreevo checkpoint.
/MY/
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