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- Liva & Laia : 15th November
Barely 6 weeks since the 'cucumber crisis' hit the export of fresh produce across Europe, and it looks like Spanish Agriculture needs to brace itself for another media frenzy.
Various UK newspapers this morning are reporting that the Health Protection Agency (HPA) has linked over 130 cases of Salmonella in the UK back to eggs that have been imported from Spain.
Four people have been hospitalised as a result of the infection, which effected the Birmingham and Liverpool areas, and has been traced back to one Spanish supplier.
Worryingly, the HPA had been investigating the outbreak in partnership with the the Food Standards Agency (FSA), who had decided not to alert the public, and the matter only came to light after one local council decided to break the news.
Perhaps the German handling of the e.coli outbreak, which resulted in Hundreds of Millions being paid out in compensation due to allegations made quickly and incorrectly following a fall in vegetable exports , influenced matters. It is possible that the Agencies jointly held back from making any statement until they had conclusive and decisive proof.
Dr Joe Kearney, who is chairman of the HPA's outbreak control team, commented : ‘This batch has been linked to a single supplier in Spain. The FSA formally alerted the Spanish authorities and as a result measures have been taken to eliminate the risk of contamination from this source, including the heat treatment of eggs to kill any salmonella that may be present.'
The hens concerned with the outbreak have been culled and their sheds are being cleaned.
The FSA commented: ‘These eggs were mainly supplied to catering establishments. No further eggs from the implicated batch have been distributed by the UK company.'