Germany 'in Spain compensation bid' as 12 countries confirm E.coli cases

Germany is considering pushing for EU compensation for Spanish farmers after it erroneously blamed its vegetable produce for starting the E.coli outbreak that has killed up to 18 people, Spain said.

In a website note posted late yesterday, the Spanish government said Chancellor Angela Merkel had told Prime Minister Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero that she regretted the damage caused, but explained that Hamburg authorities who cited Spanish cucumbers as a suspected source of the outbreak had acted in accordance with German law.