UK fresh produce producers have been handed an “inadequate” aid package following by the EU following the E. coli outbreak.

On Thursday it was agreed in Brussels to increase emergency aid to fruit and vegetable producers adversely affected by the German E. coli crisis from €210 million to €227m.

The National Farmers’ Union branded the total claim amount submitted by UK growers - namely £574,500 - highlighted “the complete inadequacy of the commission’s aid package.

Following concerns raised by the European Commission about the accuracy and eligibility of claims, some member states significantly revised their claim for aid. As a result the total EU support requested is under €227 million. Consequently, as a result of Thursday’s decision the commission will pay 100 per cent of the claims for compensation from the different member states.

There were 47 eligible applications for aid from the UK and access to this EU aid for British growers was secured by the NFU after “intense” lobbying and detailed discussions with government. More than 90 per cent of the UK claim was for the non-harvesting of lettuce.

“The low overall level of aid claimed by the UK does make very clear the complete inadequacy of the commission’s aid package in terms of growers in the UK. The real cost of the German outbreak to UK growers runs into several million,” the NFU said in a statement.

The proposed UK payment rate for the non-harvesting of lettuce under the scheme was finally published last week. It equates £6080.55 per hectare. This payment rate was negotiated by the NFU on behalf of the industry, and is a considerable improvement on DEFRA’s initially proposed payment rate of around £250 per hectare.

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