Mr Czervan said Hungary had submitted the request for EU compensation for 4,849 tons of fruit and vegetables that farmers were unable to sell between May 26 and June 30 as a result of the May outbreak of E.coli-related stomach illness, which killed over 40 people in Germany. Minister of Rural Development Sandor Fazekas estimated in early June that Hungarian farmers sustained losses of tens of billions of forints due to the outbreak. The European Union on June 14 approved EUR 210m in compensation for losses suffered among EU fruit and vegetable growers as a result of the E.coli outbreak.