Shellfish industry hit by FSA declassification
(May 2, 2002)

The shellfish industry in Orkney is in crisis today, following the confirmation that the Food Standards Agency has declassified 50 per cent of the harvesting sites in the county, claiming there has been insufficient sampling.

This means that gatherers will only be able to gather shellfish from four sites, Inganess Bay, Swanbister, Watersound in Burray and Millsand.

Responsibility for classification of shellfish sites previously rested with the Scottish Office, but since the establishment of the Food Standards Agency in 2000 far more stringent classification procedures have been introduced.

Val Cameron, Orkney Islands Council Principal Environmental Health Officer said: "The Council is committed to assisting the shellfish industry as much as possible. We are currently examining a number of options to ease the impact of this decision and we are determined to be as flexible as possible. We have made urgent representations to the FSA and are seeking clarification from them on a number of issues related to these declassifications.

"The Food Standard Agency has moved to declassify these harvesting sites because it claims insufficient sampling was being undertaken. Historically Orkney Islands Council has taken on the role of sampling on behalf of the industry despite the onus to provide samples being firmly with the producers. I think the fact that we have been supervising the collection of samples for them for the past ten years is evidence of our determination to assist the industry.

"A notification will be issued by us today to advise harvesters that they must cease the gathering of shellfish from the declassified areas until an adequate number of samples can be submitted to the Food Standards Agency. There is a fast-track method which will enable us to reclassify certain sites, but that could take 2 months before we would get a definitive response back from the FSA.

"We are urging all gatherers affected to immediately lodge an appeal with the FSA. Once the Agency has received their appeal notification this will have the effect of suspending the declassification on the affected sites until their cases are heard and will therefore allow them to continue harvesting. In the meantime the Council will co-ordinate the collection of samples and progress as quickly as possible this fast-track reclassification process.

"The sampling and procedural changes introduced by the FSA have undoubtedly led to some confusion and lack of clarity on the strict requirement to have a minimum of 6 samples submitted each year. The FSA is ultimately responsible for ensuring food safety amongst the general public and there is no flexibility in their approach to food safety enforcement. The Council is charged with enforcement of food safety and that is why we have notified the harvesters today.

"It is our intention to review the Council's position with regard to our custom of conducting sampling with respect to classification in future."