But it's not just internal trade relations that are at stake. The European press has already made note of the fact that Russia's expansion of its ban to include fresh vegetables — including those already on movado boldshelves — from the entire European Union will benefit the country's own domestic farmers at the start of their growing season. Today the European Commission contacted Russian authorities today to express its displeasure with a reaction it calls "disproportionate" and more meetings between the two parties are expected next week.None of this will be resolved, of course, while the culprit remains unknown. Today, German scientists expanded their testing to include milk, meat, and even bottled water in their search for the origins of an infection that, yesterday alone, sent 120 more people to the hospital. "It's hard to reassure people," says European Commission spokesperson Waite, "when we still don't know what the cause is."No one is sure, however, that those actions will work. "It's incredibly complicated to see how Spain could take Germany to court," says Roger Waite, spokesman for the European agriculture commissioner, Decian Ciolos. "Who would bring the suit? Under what law? It's not at all clear what would happen if it were Spain vs. Germany, except that it would take years. And the Spanish producers who are suffering right now don't have years." See more health news in Healthland.In the meantime, there promises to be plenty of accusations to go around. Some Spanish growers see nefarious intent in Germany's original accusation. "Is this a hidden attack on our agricultural trade?" asks Campo de Almería's García. "Let's just say we growers are well accustomed to Germany's efforts to kick us out of the market."Nor is it immediately clear whether the European Union as a whole has a legal framework — to say nothing of the will — to compensate farmers. Next week, agriculture experts from the E.U.'s member states will meet to try to determine the extent of the financial damage and whether there is a basis to initiate reparations. Even if there is, notes Waite, the earliest that producers could see any shop online 2011 payment would be October 16 — which is a long way away for farms that, with the cucumber season in southern Spain drawing to a close, have just lost the better part of their crop.
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