The person who wrote “E. coli deaths in Europe preventable” on page 11 (opinion) of the July 7 issue ofThe Western Producerdoesn’t have their facts right.
I returned from Switzerland a week ago, where this topic was the hot item in the papers and on the news for the last weeks. False media reports and health ministry releases have caused losses in the millions of dollars for the European farmers. We don’t need more of that here.
The author writes that the outbreak of E. coli was caused by certified organic bean sprouts. We know that that was what they thought (after first falsely accusing Spanish cucumbers). By the time I left Europe they had decided that they couldn’t pinpoint the German organic farm for the outbreak. It was likely, but they weren’t sure.
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In the meantime, there have been news reports that a certain type of clover sprouts from Egypt are the cause and the EU is banning all sprout imports from that country. Imagine what the German organic farming industry has been through since.
The author also writes about “3,400 illnesses that will require organ transplants.” That is a gross misstatement. Reputable online and news reports state that of those who are seriously ill, about 100 have serious kidney problems and may need a transplant.
The issue the author takes up about making field testing mandatory for organic farmers could be correct, but it is bad reporting to misrepresent facts to make a point, especially facts that can so seriously harm farmers.
Marianne Stamm,Westlock, Alta.
