During the transport of agricultural produce, including crops and seeds, consignments must possess a plant passport. This is stipulated in the draft of the new phytosanitary control regulation, which is expected to be adopted soon, following coordination with the Ministry of Agriculture and Food and the branch organizations. Based on analyses by the Bulgarian Food Safety Agency, which indicate that planting material in Bulgaria is primarily imported, the regulation envisages a new control structure. The specified restrictions concern the import and export of plants, planting material, and seeds during their transport through protected zones or their transit through the country's territory. Control is carried out at the state border, where phytosanitary checkpoints are located and where inspectors check all quarantine materials. These goods must be accompanied by a certificate guaranteeing that the plant protection organization of the respective country has performed control during the preparation of the shipment and that the plants were under surveillance during the vegetation period.
The plant passport will contain, in both Bulgarian and English, the abbreviation of the controlling agency, the product's registration number, the batch or lot number, the botanical name, and the product quantity. The passport also includes the name of the country of production or export. A similar document is mandatory for goods produced in our country as well.
The first mark "ЗЗ/ZP" (protected zone) indicates that the product originates from a proven clean area, free from pests regulated by an EU directive from 2009. The second distinctive mark "ЗП/RP" (replacement passport) is presented in case of a change of the plant passport, as well as the code of the producer or the initially registered importer - if necessary. Instead of a plant passport, a simplified label may be used for the following plants, plant products, and other objects: tubers of Solanum tuberosum L., seeds of Helianthus annuus L., seeds of Lycopersicon lycopersicum (L) Karsten ex Farw. and Phaseolus L., seeds of Medicago sativa L.
