EU member states have agreed a final package of aid to fruit and vegetable producers worth EUR226m (US$323.2m) to compensate them for lost sales following the German E. coli outbreak.

The amount of aid is up from the EUR210m previously discussed and will see the EU pay for cucumbers, tomatoes, lettuce, courgettes, and sweet peppers withdrawn from sale between 26 May and 30 June as a result of the outbreak.

Fenugreek seeds imported from Egypt by a German importer were identified as the most likely cause of the outbreak, although Spanish cucumbers were earlier mistakenly blamed.

The European Commission revealed today (28 July) that Spanish producers will get EUR70m of aid. Growers in Poland will receive EUR46.3m, Italian farmers will be paid EUR34.6m and producers in the Netherlands will get EUR27.1m. Germany claimed EUR16m.

EU Agriculture Commissioner Dacian Ciolos said: “This will ensure that we properly support our vegetable producers.”

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