A difficult situation for producers to digest. The temporary ban, for health reasons, on the marketing of oysters from certain sites on the West Coast is “catastrophic” for all producers because “people are no longer buying”, declared Sunday to the AFP Philippe Le Gal, president of the national shellfish farming federation. “It’s catastrophic, it’s general panic, when we are not even at 10% of contaminated areas in France” compared to the entire national production, reacted Philippe Le Gal.
The production areas whose marketing has been prohibited since the weekend by prefectural decision are located in particular in the Arcachon basin (Gironde) as well as in two very limited sectors of Calvados and La Manche. Taking his own example, Philippe Le Gal explained: “My oysters were on sale Sunday morning in four markets, one in Lot, one in Corrèze and two in Morbihan” where he is based. “We didn’t sell anything at all,” he lamented, estimating “barely 10%” of the sales made for a New Year’s Eve day, while the end-of-year celebrations are usually one of the main periods. consumption of shellfish.
“People don’t buy anymore, we tell them so much nonsense, we scare them,” he believes. “The damage is done, trust is broken” with consumers, he fears. “People think our oysters are bad, when they are good, and that the problem comes from the treatment plants and not from our production,” he says.
The minister reacts
“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,” confirmed the Secretary of State for the Sea, Hervé Berville, in an interview on Sunday with the daily Ouest-France.
The minister also calls into question the sanitation systems: “The number one issue is in fact the investment of local authorities in (wastewater) treatment systems. We will make points with communities to accelerate investments where necessary, because shellfish farming is an essential sector for the local economy,” he underlines.
The minister also indicated that “additional aid” will be examined to support producers when the loss of turnover has been established.
“Our goal is to protect consumers, to reassure the French about other oysters, but also to do this monitoring,” added Mr. Berville, estimating the number of oyster production sites in France at “375.”