“We are tired of being polluted-payers. We are victims of land pollution for which we are absolutely not responsible. » Anger is still brewing within the Regional Shellfish Farming Committee (CRC) of Pays-de-la-Loire. Its president Jean-Yves Le Goff announced Thursday that he had filed three complaints against X after the bans on the marketing of oysters in Vendée and Loire-Atlantique.
Concretely, these are complaints for harm to the good ecological state of coastal waters, for endangering the lives of others and another concerning the commercial deficit and image of professionals in the sector. Professionals from the region “also file complaints in their personal capacity”, specifies Jean-Yves Le Goff.
Towards another complaint in Normandy
Temporary bans on the marketing of oysters were imposed in Loire-Atlantique in December and in Vendée at the beginning of January after the detection of norovirus, responsible for gastroenteritis. Analyzes have also revealed the presence of norovirus in Arcachon (Gironde), in Calvados and even in Manche.
Result: temporary bans on the marketing of oysters, traditionally very popular at Christmas and New Years. Producers say they are “victims of the saturation of wastewater and rainwater networks” after severe bad weather in the fall, which caused “overflows into the natural environment” contaminating breeding areas.
The vice-president of the CRC of Normandy, Patrice Rodes, indicated that he was “in discussions with the interprofessional body” regarding a possible complaint. “If we file a complaint, it will be against X for pollution. (…) We will take over the same leaders as our colleagues, ecocide, endangerment, and above all the trade deficit,” he added.
Restore the shell image
In addition to the financial impact, restoring the image of the shellfish is the other major concern of producers, worried about seeing consumers turn away from oysters, including those produced in areas that were not affected by the bans.
“These temporary bans are not at all linked to the work of shellfish farmers. They are linked to viruses, not to the quality of the oysters,” emphasized the Secretary of State for the Sea, Hervé Berville, in a daily interview at the end of December. West France. He also indicated that “additional aid” would be examined to support producers when the loss of turnover has been established.