The Sea-Fisheries Protection Authority (SFPA) has published its annual classification list for commercial shellfish production areas across Ireland.
The list assesses production areas against strict food hygiene standards.
The SFPA, in collaboration with the shellfish industry, conducts regular shellfish sampling across all production areas, monitoring levels of bacterial contamination to determine the risk and classification status.
Each production area is given a classification that determines the conditions, if any, that must be observed before shellfish can be placed on the market.
As part of the 2026 annual review, 139 classifications were reviewed.
Of these, 17 classifications improved, while 109 showed no change compared with the 2025 annual review.
A further 13 classifications were reduced, although the SFPA notes that not all were due to a reduction in the standards recorded in monitoring results.
Three reductions were due to insufficient sampling to maintain the previous classifications, while one area was declared dormant due to a lack of current production.
The remaining nine reductions related to out-of-range, or elevated, water-quality monitoring results compared with the most recent classification levels for those areas — for example, B-standard results recorded in A-classified areas.
Live shellfish may only be harvested from production areas that meet strict classification requirements for human consumption, as set out under European and Irish food law, the SFPA says.
The 2026/27 List of Classified Live Bivalve Mollusc Production Areas in Ireland is available on the SFPA website.
