On February 2, Moldova's National Agency for Food Safety (ANSA) reported the destruction of a 15 t shipment of imported dill due to pesticide pencycuron levels exceeding safety limits, Logos Press reports. According to authorities, such cases occur when producers do not follow proper agricultural practices, including overuse of phytosanitary chemicals and premature harvesting.
The contaminated batch was intercepted in time and did not reach stores or consumers. Similar incidents occurred in November and December 2025, reflecting a systematic problem with some importers sourcing cheaper herbs without proper verification of quality certificates. Despite fines and losses, some importers continue to purchase cheaper products without verifying quality certificates from the countries of origin.
ANSA has introduced stricter border controls and increased sampling under the national monitoring program, uncovering violations that might previously have gone unnoticed. Multiple shipments contained the same substances, including pencycuron, propiconazole, kresoxim-methyl, and novaluron, indicating widespread use of fungicides and insecticides by foreign producers to preserve the appearance of herbs during transport, often ignoring safety standards. Authorities emphasize that these repeated incidents are not random but the result of tighter inspections filtering out unsafe imports.
Source: logos-pres.md
