The marketing of shellfish, including oysters, harvested in two communes of Calvados and which had been banned at the end of December because of the presence of norovirus, is again authorized, the Calvados prefecture announced on Tuesday.
The decree of December 29, which prohibited the fishing, collection, distribution, storage, shipping, distribution and marketing of live shellfish in the Grandcamp-Maisy and Géfosse-Fontenay areas, is "repealed as of January 17, 2024," according to the statement.
"The lights are green"
"Live shellfish" cover not only oysters but also other filter feeders such as mussels, cockles and clams. This ban was lifted after a regulatory period of 28 days and checks that proved that the contaminated area had returned to a satisfactory sanitary quality.
The order had been issued at several points on the French coast, following declarations of collective foodborne illness (CTI). These food poisonings occurred through the consumption of shellfish positive for norovirus (responsible for gastroenteritis).
The repeal was welcomed "with joy, especially as the lights are green in the English Channel", according to Thierry Hélie, president of the Normandy North Sea regional shellfish farming committee. "The closure protocol to protect public health has worked well," he told AFP.