The Gironde prefecture was forced to ban the sale of oysters from the Arcachon basin after several cases of collective food infections. Poor wastewater management would have led to a proliferation of norovirus in shellfish.
Oyster farmers estimate their losses at seven million euros in turnover. 500,000 euros will be redeployed in particular by FranceAgriMer, the national establishment for agricultural and seafood products, in order to support the sector's crisis communication. Oyster farmers will be exempt from state royalties'“up to 90%” in the medium term. In the longer term, the government plans to "structurally protect the entire aquaculture ecosystem and biodiversity on the ground. "Water-Climate" is the name of a new government initiative to tackle climate change in the French marine environment. The government has also announced a series of measures to support the oyster industry, in difficulty after numerous poisonings during the end-of-year holidays.