Seán Ó Fearghaíl (Kildare South, Fianna Fail)
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Question 503: To ask the Minister for Agriculture, Fisheries and Food the contacts he has had with his European counterparts in relation to the mutant e-coli outbreak, which has caused numerous deaths and serious illness in Germany; the progress that has been made in identifying the source of this problem; the actions he will take to prevent the spread of the bacteria here; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [15064/11]

Simon Coveney (Cork South Central, Fine Gael)
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The E-Coli outbreak in Germany was discussed at the Informal Council of Agriculture Ministers in Hungary on 31 May. I also attended an emergency meeting of the Council of Agriculture Ministers in Luxembourg on Tuesday 7 June. The meeting was called to deal with the food safety and market implications resulting from the E-Coli outbreak.

Since that meeting, I, and my Department officials, have continued to maintain close contact with the Food Safety Authority of Ireland (FSAI) and with our European counterparts to review the situation.

On Friday 10 June, the German authorities confirmed that they had identified "with great probability" sprouts, grown in Germany, as the source of the virulent EHEC infection. Furthermore, they announced that, as a consequence, the warning against the consumption of tomatoes, cucumbers and lettuce was being rescinded.

The German authorities confirmed on Sunday 12 June, that laboratory results of sprouts tested positive for the outbreak strain of E. coli (VTEC) O104:H4. Last week, the German authorities had closed down the production plant in question and the sprouts from the plant were withdrawn from the market. Following the sampling of sprouts obtained from a household infected with the E. Coli strain, the German authorities are of the opinion that it can be assumed with a very high probability that the E. coli outbreak is attributable, more particularly to the consumption of sprouts.

None of the sprouts from this production plant were exported from Germany.

The German Federal Minister for Health, Daniel Bahr, believes there is optimism that the epidemic may soon be over as the number of E. coli cases has now, it is believed peaked.

In Ireland, there have been no reported cases of human illness associated with the German outbreak strain of E. coli (VTEC) O104:H4.

I, and my Department officials, are maintaining regular contact with our European counterparts and are continuing to review the situation. In addition, we are in constant contact with the FSAI, which is responsible for protecting public health and consumer interests in the area of food safety and hygiene, and which also continues to monitor the situation.