France: Oysters from the Arcachon basin are banned from sale after several poisonings

The French public health agency noted in the region ahead of Christmas "an increase in emergency department visits for gastrointestinal symptoms associated with the same region of food origin." “As of today, consignments of shellfish harvested or caught in these areas must be withdrawn from sale. People who have shellfish from these areas are asked not to consume them and to return them to points of sale,” the prefecture said in a press release. The measure, which will be lifted “as soon as shellfish quality is again fully satisfactory,” will primarily affect oyster farmers, who sell most of their produce at the end of the year. "It's a big hit (...) that's hard to quantify: 20 to 30% of turnover," Martin Myron, an oyster farmer in Ares, told AFP. According to the Regional Committee for Shellfish Culture of Arcachon-Aquitaine (CRCAA) and Agreste, local oyster production is about 8,000 tons per year, or 10% of national production, half of which is in Marenne-Oléron ...