Another alarm signal over food safety and oversight of agricultural exports has come from Croatia, which has destroyed the third shipment of peppers from Albania within 72 hours. The case is raising further questions about field controls and the role of the responsible institutions, while the consequences are falling on farmers who are selling at a loss.
Third shipment blocked within days
According to the notice in the European RASFF system, the latest destroyed shipment amounted to 12 tons and 320 kilograms of peppers. The product is reported to have been produced in Poshnje, Berat.
Croatian authorities intervened after detecting high levels of pesticides, in an episode that follows two other similar cases within a very short period of time. This is deepening doubts about the filters that should be working before agricultural goods are sent to EU markets.
What was found in the peppers
The notice mentions two types of chemicals, acetamiprid and flonicamid, agricultural preparations used against harmful insects. These substances are part of plant protection products, but the problem, according to the reported version, is linked to exceeding the amount used.
This is precisely where the main problem arises: not only the use of pesticides, but the lack of effective control over dosage and compliance with standards before produce enters the export market.
Criticism of Agriculture Ministry inspections
Agriculture expert Ndoc Fasllia has raised concern that alarms over pesticides in Albanian produce are regularly coming from receiving countries, while controls should have stopped the problem in the field by the responsible structures of the Ministry of Agriculture.
He stressed that very few routine inspections are carried out on the ground and that the reaction often comes only after the issue becomes public or when businesses carry out self-checks. According to him, ordinary direct checks on producers should be part of the institutional annual plan, not a delayed move after the damage has already been done.
Myzeqe farmers are paying the price
The most immediate consequence is being felt in the market. According to Fasllia, the return of one or two trucks may not be a major problem for a trader, but the real effect spreads to 1,000 to 2,000 farmers in Myzeqe.
He says the price of peppers has fallen from 95 lek a week ago to 35 lek currently. This means many farmers are selling below cost, while the damage caused by one substandard production is also hitting those who claim to have produced with quality.
Risk to exports and responsibility across the chain
The case risks further damaging the confidence of European markets in Albanian produce. According to publicly released data, Croatia has decided that no produce from Albania will cross the border without first undergoing laboratory tests.
The expert argues that responsibility does not rest only with the farmer producing below standard, but also extends to collectors and exporters. According to him, laboratory analysis of the shipment before export would avoid not only the return of goods, but also damage to the image of domestic producers.
The third case within 72 hours makes it harder to justify the situation as isolated mistakes. When the danger signal comes from abroad and not from domestic inspection, the problem no longer appears simply individual, but also institutional.
In this climate, the question is not only who made a mistake in a specific plot, but why the control mechanisms did not stop the product before the scandal crossed the border.