Speaking in Luxembourg at an emergency meeting of EU agriculture ministers, the European farmers association Copa argued EU producers and agricultural cooperatives had suffered enormously by this outbreak."Losses reach up to $580 million per week in eight member states, with some farmers and cooperatives already forced out of business. EU fruit and vegetable prices have plummeted and consumption has fallen dramatically. In some regions of the EU, 100% of cucumbers produced were destroyed last week, whilst 80% of total vegetable production is being destroyed because there is no outlet for it on the market.”
In the meantime, the European Commission's $220 million compensation package for farmers hit by the E. coli scandal in Europe has been considered too low by the EU-wide farming union Copa-Cogeca.
So, yesterday, EU Agriculture Commissioner Dacian Ciolos has increased a proposed aid package for vegetable producers harmed by Germany's E. coli outbreak. Ciolos has offered $307 million. The new offer meant that The European Commission would raise the amount of compensation to 50% of the average selling price between 2007 and 2010. The earlier proposal equated to 30% of prices over that period, but nine EU countries including Spain, France and Germany insisted compensation should amount to 100% of losses.
The so-called super toxic strain of E. coli has killed 22 people and sickened thousands, but officials have yet to find the source of the outbreak.
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