Wendy WilliamsSPAIN is seeking compensation after being ‘wrongly’ accused of causing an E.coli outbreak that has led to the deaths of 18 people.
Prime Minister Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero announced the country would demand damages for the economic losses suffered after authorities in Hamburg – the city at the heart of the outbreak – revealed new tests showed cucumbers imported from Spain, are not to blame.
Rosa Aguilar, Spain’s agricultural minister, also criticised Germany of being too quick to place the blame.
“We are disappointed by the way Germany handled the situation,” she said at a meeting of EU agricultural ministers in Hungary.
“From the beginning Spanish cucumbers have been named as responsible for this situation. This was said without having reliable data and we insist that it is not true,” she said.
The impact on Spain’s agricultural sector has been described as ‘extremely damaging’ after nine countries took measures to block or restrict imports from Spain.
And Spanish fruit and vegetable exporters have estimated they are losing 200 million euros a week.
More than 1,500 people have now been affected in Germany alone with cases also reported in Britain, the Netherlands, Austria, France, Spain and Switzerland.
“Almost all cases being reported in other countries have a link to travel or residence in Germany,” said Hilda Kruse, a WHO food safety expert.
The WHO has now affirmed the outbreak is caused by a previously unknown strain of E.coli which is believed to have mutated from two bacteria, each with lethal genes.
The German labs showed that Spanish cucumbers did a have strain of E-coli on them that’s a fact and that’s a good enough reason to stop shipments.
Most cemmercially produced food is heaving with systemic insecticides/herbicides and best not to start on all the chemicals/antibiotics in meat.
All in the name of greater profit and cheaper produce – most Europeans could do with losing a lot of weight.
Pay more for better quality, eat less and take exercise
It amazes me that whilst the rest of europe is looking to identify the source of the problem and working hard to save lives, that Spain appears only to be fighting for compensation. Spain is not necessarily out of the woods on this one and may prematurely be looking for all their Xmas’ to come at once.
It amazes me that Spain is unfairly blamed and when it is proven that the accusation was wrong as always was sustained by Spanish authorities and after suffering million of Euros of losses people got amazed for Spain claiming compensation for the damages suffered. A classical example of German mixture of arrogance and incompetence.
Does everyone remember when the Spanish government point blank lied about the 190 people who died from – the cocktail of chemicals that the peasant farmers of plasticland/Almeria used in ignorance in the late 1970s’- they said it was contaminated cooking oil.
here was a programme on French TV last year in which the Spanish strawberry farmers were shown to be using banned chemicals – nothing changes. yes there are few principled growers but few being the operative word.
Stuart excuse my language but the bullsh*t of your comment equals the tracking of fecal traces on Perrier sparkling water a decade ago. If you had any interest on the truth you would limit your assertions to scientific grounds. Would you dare to compare the statistics of food poissoning in France or Spain in the last decade? You would get uncomfortable surprised considering your way of thinking.
French have their own agenda regarding agriculture lobbies and the political impact of their farmers is well known all europe long. Any “investigation” program done by French people regarding agriculture overseas should be placed in quarentine.
Prejudgment is the resource of the fool or the manipulator.
Finally, who in this crazy and stupid world would dare to eat anything in UK? Not only health counts in this life.
These Spanish politicans are totally irresponsible. A warning of a health institution after a deadly bacteria is not governed by economic considerations for the market. It is not even an issue for a government. Rosa Aquilar should step down following her demagogic remarks
Blame blame blame
From Mad Cow, to Foot & Mouth and now E-Coli – as long as it’s someone else to blame all over Europe loves ro point the finger.
Anyone else remember all the mainland countries who were banning imports at the same time as having the disease in their country and still trying to carry on with exports?
Until it is properly administered EU like for like practice and the agricultural bodies share responsibility and work together open book then blame will be the basis of denial and deflection.
Each country is too keen to point the finger
Villius – a typical denial freak.
Fact – E-coli was found on Spanish cucumbers. E-coli comes from faeces – how did it get there Villius. Simple because migrant workers live in horrendous conditions in Spain – oh that’s right the TV programmes showing this are all propoganda.
Denial,denial, denial – the bogus cooking oil was all propoganda as well was’nt it.
Tell me Villius why should tax payers in northern Europe subsidise the growing of the narcotic – nicotine in Andalucia.
Tell me why the sheperds around Guadix where I used to live be allowed to get away with ripping off the data tags from the ears of sheep that died from Scrapies not be prosecuted.
Denial,denial, denial – you tonto.