A top Spanish official says the country may take action against Germany after authorities there said cucumbers produced in Spain may be the cause of a widespread E. coli outbreak. The outbreak has sickened more than 1,000 people in Germany and hundreds of others Sweden, Britain, Denmark, France and the Netherlands. German authorities blamed 15 recent deaths on E. coli while at least one woman in Sweden died after becoming infected.
German authorities’ claims of contaminated Spanish produce have had major repercussions on Spain’s farming industry. Although the European Commission warned it is too soon to ban particular products, many fearful store owners across Europe have banned Spanish produce from their shelves. It is estimated that Spanish farmers will lose millions of dollars a day.
Spanish Deputy Prime Minister Alfredo Perez Rubalcaba was outspoken about Spain’s outrage over Germany’s claims. In a radio interview on Wednesday, Rubalcaba said his country is considering "taking action against the authorities (in Germany) who questioned the quality of our products."
Later on Wednesday, Rubalcaba said Spanish produce is “absolutely clean” and officials have asked Germany to retract their earlier statements. "If the bacteria came from Spain, we would see infections. Our products are absolutely clean, our cucumbers in this case. It's not a problem of the origin of the products," he said in a news conference.
"If it was from the cucumbers, there would be cases (of illness) in Spain," he continued. "The Hamburg (Germany) authorities don't know where it comes from. I understand they have a problem. We have said, 'You need to say it wasn't us.'"
"It's evident they have endangered the jobs of many people without proof. We know (the infection) is a serious problem but the Spanish products have nothing to do with that crisis,” Rubalcaba added.
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