The Agricultural Ministers of the EU labelled the E. coli bacteria infection a European problem at the informal meeting of the Agriculture Council held on 31 May 2011 in Debrecen. The Hungarian Presidency volunteered to convene an extraordinary meeting of the Council to discuss the cucumber crisis if necessary.

Germany had asked that the crisis that has developed as a result of the coli-contaminated cucumbers be included on the agenda, a proposal which the Hungarian presidency accepted. For this reason, the time designated for the discussion of the original agenda was somewhat reduced.

At the press conference held following the council meeting, Minister for Rural Development Sándor Fazekas suggested that some Member States had pushed for an immediate decision. Fazekas stated that as the meeting in Debrecen had been an informal one, it could not bring decisions. "We need investigative data, only after that can we react effectively" - stressed the Hungarian Minister. "It is important that we identify without a doubt the exact source of the infection. The Council feels it is very important to provide the public with correct information, both in the interests of consumers and vegetable growers. We are awaiting the test results and the Hungarian presidency is prepared to convene an extraordinary council meeting" - said Mr. Fazekas.

The minister called the problem of the cucumbers infected with E. coli bacteria "an unfortunate food scandal". He viewed it as positive that "the European Rapid Alert System functioned well", but added that the system needs to be fine-tuned. Fazekas emphasised that all Member States taking part at the meeting had expressed their sympathy to the families of the victims.

During the press conference, EU Commissioner for Agriculture Dacian Cioloş spoke of the "consumer confidence crisis" and "vegetable sector crisis" that have developed because of the infected cucumbers. He informed those present that John Dalli, Commissioner for Health and Consumer Protection, would hold a public announcement in Brussels on or before the morning of June 1. "We would like to restore consumer confidence because a confidence crisis can have serious economic consequences" - stated Cioloş. During the press conference, the Commissioner for Agriculture stressed that the Council had little room for manoeuvre with regard to this issue. "There are certain possibilities, but exactly what those possibilities are is a question of legal interpretation" - he said. Mr Cioloş stated that the Council would perform the legal analysis of possible measures over the next few days.

"We should not accuse certain producers of causing the cucumber infection. The majority of producers keep to the strict guidelines and there is a danger that they may find themselves in an unduly serious situation" - emphasised Cioloş. The Commissioner urged member states to effect "balanced" action. On the same subject, Mr. Fazekas stated that what certain member states think of each other's procedures falls outside the Council's scope of competence.

Prior to the start of the meeting at an impromptu press conference, Spanish Minister of Agriculture Rosa Aguilar voiced his objections to the fact that Germany had made the issue public before consulting the Spanish Government, and also that Berlin had pointed to Spain as being the source of the infection without sufficient evidence. According to Aguilar, Spanish vegetable growers have suffered serious damages as a result, because consumers are no longer buying vegetables.

At the press conference following the Council Meeting, German State Secretary for Agriculture Robert Josef Kloos stated that German official statements had not mentioned the fact that the source of the infection was Spain. The State Secretary did not rule out the possibility that the infection had occurred during cultivation or perhaps later, during shipment.

On the final day of the Informal Council Meeting, the Ministers also discussed problems associated with the European livestock sector, specifically the question of how milk-producing regions with less favourable natural capabilities will be able to conform to the new state of market competition following the upcoming abolition of the milk quota system in 2015. The Council also discussed the issue of what extra costs and expenses are borne by European farmers as a result of strict animal welfare and environmental regulations. The regulated grain market traditionally ensured stable feed prices for the livestock sector; what can be done to ensure that animal husbandry is provided with feed at competitive prices?

According to EU Commissioner Dacian Cioloş, the issue of animal husbandry must be analysed not just from an economic point of view, but also from a regional and environmental perspective. The Commissioner expressed his hope that following the effective preparative work of the Hungarian Presidency, the EU could succeed in coming to a decision on this issue during the term of the Polish Presidency.

The press conference marked the end of the Informal Meeting of the Agricultural Ministers of the European Union in Debrecen.

(eu2011.hu, Press Office of the Ministry for Rural Development)