Bulgaria's food safety agency (BABH) has stopped a 21,089 kg shipment of apples from North Macedonia at the border. A lab test found a pesticide that is banned in the EU, the agency said.
The fruit will not reach the EU market and is being returned to the country it came from.
The agency found the problem during stepped-up checks on fresh fruit and vegetables for the Bulgarian market. BABH says the checks will continue so that food that fails safety rules does not get in.
People who suspect a breach of the rules can report it to the agency's hotline: 0700 12 299.
Shortly before this, BABH also stopped more than 11 tonnes of peppers from North Macedonia, where tests found pesticide residues above the legal limit.