Five shellfish production areas have been upgraded, and 15 production areas have been downgraded in the annual classification list for commercial shellfish.
The Sea-Fisheries Protection Authority (SFPA) assessed 134 classifications in 60 production areas against strict safety requirements for human consumption.
The SFPA says that six production areas changed from an A classification to Seasonal A classification; one production area moved from a Seasonal A to a B classification and eight production areas decreased in seasonality (i.e., shortening in seasonal length).
One production area was declared as dormant due to inactivity over the last twelve months, and limited monitoring data is available.
Live shellfish can only be harvested from production areas which meet strict classification requirements for human consumption, as set out under European and Irish Food laws.
The SFPA, in collaboration with the shellfish industry, conducts regular shellfish sampling in all production areas, monitoring the levels of bacterial contamination of shellfish to determine the risk and classification status.
Ireland produced an estimated 29,000 tonnes of shellfish in 2022 - including mussels (both rope and bottom culture), oysters, clams, cockles, and scallops - from classified production areas annually, and an additional 2,200 tonnes of scallops are landed from offshore sites, the SFPA says.
The Irish aquaculture-farmed shellfish sector is worth an estimated €71 million annually (up 10% on last year’s figures), which was reported in the BIM report on The Business of Seafood 2022.
Around 90% of shellfish produced in Ireland is exported, principally to European and Asian markets, and Ireland is the second largest producer of oysters in Europe after France.
Table 1. Shellfish Classification based on E. coli monitoring Source: SFPA
