Skopje, 24 January 2024 (MIA) — It was 2,700 kg of kale and not cabbage that was recently refused entry to Croatia, the State Agriculture Inspectorate said in a press release dismissing recent media reports and citing a notification from the EU Rapid Alert System for Food and Feed that a shipment of fresh kale was identified as unsafe at the Croatian border.

According to the inspectorate, however, the shipment of kale did not contain any banned pesticides.

"According to the Croatian report, the produce was found to contain the banned active substance imidacloprid, prohibited for use since Dec. 1, 2020, under the EU regulation 2020/1643," the release said.

The shipment of kale was returned from the Croatian border on Jan. 9. 

State inspectors immediately carried out 20 inspections, including at the regional buyer, exporter, and the grower in the village of Josifovo, Valandovo.

"No presence of any prohibited active substance was found in the samples taken," the release said, adding that a fine of EUR 700 was imposed because mandatory records of phytosanitary treatments of plants and plant products had not been kept. mr/