Serbian-produced peaches were returned from the border with Croatia because they contained high levels of the pesticide chlorpyrifos. The reported pesticide is banned in the EU, while in Serbia its use is allowed only by farmers who grow sugar beets.
The Serbian Agriculture Ministry said that the analysis of the sample of the disputed shipment is in progress. Agricultural expert Milivoje Pavlović says that an analysis was probably carried out at the border because the use of chlorpyrifos has been banned in EU countries since 2019.
When asked what happens to the batches of fruit that have been returned, i.e. whether they will be destroyed or sold on the domestic market, Pavlović says: “As this pesticide is not banned for the use on fruit, which is the case in Serbia, it means that the peaches that have been returned from Croatia will certainly be destroyed.”
