By Euro Weekly News Media • Published: 11 Jul 2011 • 9:38
THE E.coli bacteria ‘crisis’ has not only affected the production of cucumbers in Spain, but other vegetables including peppers. The crisis occurred after an E.coli outbreak in northern Germany was incorrectly blamed by German authorities on Spanish cucumbers.
As a result thousands of kilos of peppers have been destroyed as part of health measures by the Government’s Agriculture Department.
Millions more kilos of peppers are scheduled to be discarded, especially in the agricultural areas of the Valencian and Murcia Regions. The European Union subsidizes the producers with 44 cents per kilo destroyed. “Some of us larger traders already threw away 40,000kg two weeks ago and we expect to withdraw a further 15,000 to 20,000kg more later this month,” said Juan Pastor, head of administration for one of the most prominent export companies in the Vega Baja.
“The food either goes into animal feed or to a landfill, but in the end it is the government that decides where the vegetables are disposed, not us,” said Pastor.
Photo credit: John of Austin
Share this story
Subscribe to our Euro Weekly News alerts to get the latest stories into your inbox!
By signing up, you will create a Euro Weekly News account if you don't already have one. Review our Privacy Policy for more information about our privacy practices.
Share your story with us by emailing newsdesk@euroweeklynews.com, by calling +34 951 38 61 61 or by messaging our Facebook page www.facebook.com/EuroWeeklyNews
By signing up, you will create a Euro Weekly News account if you don’t already have one. Review our Privacy Policy for more information about our privacy practices.
Download our media pack in either English or Spanish.