Spanish Pickle Exports from Belgium and Russia are Banned

Belgium has forbidden the pickle importation from two Spanish companies since it is believed that the vegetable has a bacterium that affects the intestines.  The bacterium has killed eleven people in Germany. Meanwhile Russia detained all the imports from Germany and Spain, this measure could be applied to the rest of the countries from the European Union.

The Belgian Minister of Agriculture, Sabine Laruelle, asked to the Federal Agency for Food Chain Security (AFSCA) to forbid the imports of both companies. However, the minister clarified that not all the exports from Spain are banned, only the ones from those companies.

The Secretary of Estate of the EU, Diego Lopez Garrido, stated in Brussels that the ban of Spanish vegetables due to the Escherichia coli bacteria is not the solution. Lopez Garrido believes that it is necessary to have proof of the Spanish responsibility regarding the contaminated pickles.

Source: EFE