6 June 2011

Officials from the agriculture ministry in the German state of Lower Saxony have confirmed that beansprouts from an organic farm are not the cause of the country’s devastating E. coli outbreak.

Investigators traced the rare, highly toxic strain of the bacteria to the Uelzen region, where the media later identified a farm in Bienenbuettel. Klaus Verbeck, the farm manager, expressed his bewilderment after his farm was blamed for the outbreak. Verbeck told the Neue Osnabruecker Zeitung newspaper, "The salad sprouts are grown only from seeds and water, and they aren't fertilized at all. There aren't any animal fertilizers used in other areas on the farm either."

Agriculture experts today (Monday 6 June) released test results showing 23 of 40 samples from the sprout farm suspected of being behind the outbreak tested negative for the relevant bacteria. The Lower Saxony Ministry said further tests were pending.

The E Coli outbreak has caused widespread panic, deterring consumers from eating raw produce, and has led to recriminations within the European community, after German officials initially posited cucumbers from Spain as the source of the outbreak.