E. Coli outbreak: EU proposes 150m Euros to aid farmers

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.
But there has been growing criticism of the way the outbreak has been handled, with MEPs accusing the authorities of a lack of communication and co-operation.

'Regaining trust'

 
European agriculture commissioner Dacian Ciolos told journalists ahead of the Luxembourg talks: "I will propose 150m euros today.
"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.
Officials say the results of the final 17 tests will not be known until Wednesday at the earliest because of the complicated nature of the testing process.