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Agriculture in Greece consists of small producers subject to regular inspections. Local produce is targeted both to the domestic market and for exports, which obliges the farmers themselves to maintain good quality. This is the main reason, according to the Deputy Minister of Agricultural Development Yiannis Koutsoukos, why Greek agriculture has not been seriously affected by any of the food outbreaks in recent years. Koutsoukos presented Greece at the extraordinary meeting of the council of EU agriculture ministers, which was held this week in Luxembourg. He spoke about the results of the meeting and the particular problems of local agriculture caused by the crisis with dangerous bacteria E.coli exclusively for GRReporter.

"The food crisis that hit part of northern Germany and caused the deaths of 23 people so far has disastrous consequences for all European producers," said the government official. He defined the way in which Germany referred to the issue as irresponsible and directly expressed the dissatisfaction existing in Europe with the lack of reliable information about the problem so far.

Greece has never been at the epicentre of any major food crises such as the diseases caused by the "mad cow", "avian influenza" or dioxins in food, because the production is concentrated in small family enterprises. The small farmers in the country keep the quality of their products to stay on the market, said the Deputy Minister of Agricultural Development. At the same time, the control of agricultural production in the country has proven to be effective and gives results in contrast to that exercised in major Western European countries. There, the production of fruits and vegetables is concentrated in large firms, which are known generally for the best and strict laws for quality control.

However, practice shows that apparently the control in Western countries is not as strict as it is stated and the recent events connected with the deadly bacterium proved it. "The conclusion is that these large enterprises violate the laws of production while trying to increase or maintain their profits," said Yiannis Koutsoukos. He did not hide his discontent with the way the German government dealt with the case and accused first the Spanish cucumbers, having no proof of it. Then, the controlling authorities in Spain made mass inspections which showed that the contaminated products are not produced locally, but the damage was already done.
 
At the extraordinary meeting of agriculture ministers from the EU, the countries have required the European authorities to pay a compensation of at least 150 million euros 30% of which to compensate the Mediterranean countries. The compensation should cover the losses of European manufacturers from the beginning of the crisis to the end of June and is expected to be approved in the coming days. The Commissioner for Rural Affairs Dacian Ciolos has asked Germany to find the source of the problem as soon as possible, because the damage may reach unexpectedly high levels.
 
The Greek producers from the island of Crete are saying that their losses have reached nearly 30 million euros, but this amount should be checked by state authorities to confirm it. The Deputy Minister of Agricultural Development Yiannis Koutsoukos has required while in Luxembourg the calculation of damages to include fruits for export as strawberries, because they are the main export product of Greece to Russia. "Greek fruits and vegetables meet the highest quality requirements as those imposed by Russia. These requirements are much higher than those adopted in the European Union, which also guarantees their quality."

Koutsoukos said that European agriculture ministers have asked the European Union to use all possible diplomatic means to make Russia drop the embargo on European vegetables and fruits. He believes that the import ban is actually baseless and unreasonable and does not exclude the possibility that other commercial interests are lying behind the ultimate measure of Russia.

I could no refrain from asking the Deputy Minister whether Greece imports fruits and vegetables, regardless of its obvious climatic and geographic advantages. He said with certainty that the country imports agricultural goods in periods when there is no production. However, Yannis Koutsoukos emphasized that there is a strict control of imported goods, but did not enter into details on how it is carried out.