MEP Francisco Sosa-Wagner demands compensation for Spain’s farmers
EU sets E. coli aid at 150m euros
The European Commission has proposed a 150m euro (£134m; $220m) aid package to help farmers whose products have been hit by the current E. coli outbreak.
Producers of salad vegetables have seen sales plummet in the outbreak, which has killed 22 people and sickened more than 2,400.
EU agriculture ministers are holding crisis talks in Luxembourg.
The EU health commissioner said the outbreak was limited to north Germany and did not need Europe-wide controls.
John Dalli also warned against releasing unproven information on the outbreak, saying it had spread fear and adversely affected farm producers.
European agriculture commissioner Dacian Ciolos told journalists ahead of the Luxembourg talks: “I will propose 150m euros today.
Analysis
This may turn out to be little more than an opening bid. The European Commission wants governments to release 150m euros in aid to European vegetable producers but that will still leave farmers with massive losses.
Spain has already threatened to take Germany to court if it does not cover 100% of the losses its farmers have incurred, and they are estimated to be running at more than 200m euros a week.
Other countries will also be making claims – Dutch farmers are thought to be 80m euros down – and some will resist efforts for money to be paid from central EU funds. The Commission proposal will cover less than a third of the total losses, and it will probably make use of a farm crisis fund within the EU budget.
But if that is what gets agreed, it may leave no-one entirely satisfied. At a time when European farmers are already worried about the effects of drought, the huge fall in the sale and price of fresh vegetables could do lasting damage.
“I hope that the authorities will be able to give an answer on the source of the infection as quickly as possible. Without this answer, it will be difficult to regain the trust of consumers, which is essential for the market to regain its strength.”
Compensation will cover the period from late May to late June, he said, but the amount paid could change once each country’s reported losses are known.
Spain has been demanding 100% compensation from Germany for huge losses suffered by its farmers because of the false accusation that the outbreak began in Spanish cucumbers.
Spain’s fruit and vegetables exporters association has estimated losses at 225m euros (£200m) a week.
All the deaths from the outbreak, bar one in Sweden, have been in Germany. Twelve countries have been affected, with the cases outside Germany linked to travel there.
The latest focus for the source has been on bean sprouts from a German organic farm in Uelzen, 100km (62 miles) south of Hamburg. However, of 40 samples examined from the farm, the first 23 tested negative.
Earlier Mr Dalli told the European Parliament: “I stress that the outbreak is limited geographically to the area surrounding the city of Hamburg, so there is no reason to take action on a European level.
“[EU-wide] measures against any product are disproportionate.”
EU health commissioner John Dalli said unjustified fears were being spread
Detailing how the crisis unfolded, he said that originally pinpointing cucumbers from Spain as the source had been wrong.
He said: “It’s crucial that national authorities don’t rush to give information on the source of infection when it’s not justified by the science.
“That creates fears and problems for our food producers. We must be careful not to make premature conclusions.”
After he spoke, Spanish delegate Francisco Sosa-Wagner held up a cucumber during his speech, saying: “We need to restore the honour of the cucumber.”
Health adviceWash fruit and vegetables before eating themPeel or cook fruit and vegetablesWash hands regularly to prevent person-to-person spread of E. coli strain
Source: UK Health Protection Agency
BBC Europe correspondent Chris Morris says the EU agriculture ministers will want to know how close experts are to identifying the source, amid mounting criticism of the investigation.
On Monday, Germany’s Lower Saxony agriculture ministry said that “investigations are continuing”, as it announced that the first tests from the farm in Uelzen had proved negative.
It added that it did not expect “any short-term conclusions”, and that given the complex testing procedure, the remaining 17 samples may not be returned for a few more days.
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