EU salad war

“We still do not know what the source of infection is in more than 1500 cases. We do not have a complete identification of the causes, but we do have more and more information that the source of infection is not plant products,” informed Agriculture Minister Marek Sawicki.

The death toll from E. coli bacteria poisoning in northern Germany rose to 25 after two women, aged 88 and 74 died on Tuesday.

The lack of evidence that the food poisoning outbreak originated in Spain, as originally alleged by Germany, drew strong criticism from Spanish MEP Francisco Sosa Wagner (pictured) in the European Parliament, who waved a cucumber at European Health Commissioner John Dalli, saying that thousands of farmers in his country would face a tough summer after salad exports plunged following the German allegations.

“We must restore the reputation of the cucumber,” an angry Francisco Sosa Wagner told MEPs.

Commissioner Dalli appeared to agree that hasty declarations as to the cause of the outbreak and unilateral actions taken by governments was not the best way forward in tackling the E. coli scare.

“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 give premature conclusions,” Dalli told parliament.

In Poland, two people, one a seven year-old boy, have been confirmed as having contracted the bacteria and four other patients are awaiting a clear diagnosis.

Russia slapped a ban on all EU fruit and vegetable products last week after the German allegations that Spanish cucumbers were to blame.

According to Germany’s Robert Koch Institute, there are as many as 2,325 confirmed and suspected cases of E. coli infection across the country with 642 of them involving a virulent and potentially lethal complication affecting the kidneys and the nerve system. (pg)