БАРЗ is against bureaucracy in plant protection

The Bulgarian Food Safety Agency (BFSA) has issued an order approving a template for a Logbook for the sale of plant protection products from the professional category of use. In connection with the implementation of the order, it is expected that traders of plant protection products will hire an additional person to monitor the correct completion and compliance with the conditions in the specific document. Why does the Bulgarian Association for Crop Protection (BACP) disagree with this decision?

In an interview for the newspaper “Stopanin”, Assoc. Prof. Dr. Petar Nikolov, Chair of BACP, accuses the state administration, represented by the BFSA, of excessive regulations that hinder the business of companies engaged in the distribution of plant protection products. The agricultural authority often requires information from traders that constitutes company (commercial) secrecy and is not always legally justified, Mr. Nikolov believes. His concern is that companies in the sector will be forced to hire additional staff to handle the said documentation. “Is it normal to hire an employee and pay them a salary and social security contributions when their work does not bring benefits or revenue, but represents the performance of the work of the state administration!? The answer from the sector is categorically clear – no!”

We recall that at the beginning of the year the decision of the BFSA on certificates for the right to use plant protection products from the professional category was adopted. Pursuant to the Plant Protection Act (promulgated in SG No. 61 of 25 July 2014, amended in SG No. 12 of 13 February 2015), distributors, consultants and professional users of plant protection products from the professional category of use must hold a certificate issued by the Executive Director of the BFSA or by an official authorized by him. When users and distributors do not have higher education in the professional field of “Plant Protection” or “Crop Production”, they may obtain a certificate for the use of plant protection products from the professional category of use after completing training at higher education institutions or institutions within the system of vocational education.