Germany’s rushed decision to blame Spain for exporting cucumbers with e-coli as the news of the infection broke could cost the country dearly if Spain decides to sue. It is thought that the claim could leave Spain with a massive hole in its agricultural income, which in these economic circumstances is very bad news for the country. Spain is not the only country to suffer; caution is causing The Netherlands an estimated 9 million euros a week in lost cucumber sales.
The process that Spain needs to go through to sue Germany is not quite the same as hiring a lawyer for car accident claims or medical negligence. It is yet to become clear what the actual source of the e-coli spread is and if it is even connected to Spanish cucumbers in any way. Spain is nevertheless upset about Germany’s unsubstantiated claim over the quality of its produce.
There are thousands of individuals now thought to be infected with e-coli and these people may be thinking of claiming compensation if possible. So far 17 fatalities have been recorded, as well as many more in a serious condition, because of a serious complication called haemolytic-uraemia syndrome that attacks the kidneys. It appears that this kind of e-coli has not been seen before and is very potent.
Very few UK residents have been caught up in the drama so compensation companies such as Claims4negligence have not yet needed to give their input. The bug does not appear to have been well contained in Germany, however, as international travel has brought a small number of cases in to the UK.
People in Germany are being advised to avoid cucumber, lettuce and tomatoes but the UK government has not given any advice on avoiding any particular foodstuffs. There has however been a recommendation to peel fruit and veg and ensure hands are washed regularly.
