FRANCE: Oyster farmers remain cautious after authorities lift ban on French delicacy

It may have introduced the world to Cordon-Bleu cooking, but France was left red-faced after one of its fine food industries was put under investigation following the deaths of two people. Authorities lifted a ban on oyster sales from the Bay of Arcachon on Thursday (September 14), but the industry has been in crisis for weeks after health officials warned the public to avoid the seafood treat. Farmers, however, plan to wait for further tests before returning to market. "It's an unprecedented crisis because we have been closed for the last 16 weeks for hypothetical sanitary risks," said oyster farmer Joel Dupuch, who has one of the largest farms on the bay and is vice president of the oyster farmers union. "Now we have created rumours about two people who might have died because they ate oysters. So, it's a real drama." The French government put the shellfish under examination after two people, aged 61 and 77, died after they ate oysters from Arcachon. The deaths followed a ban imposed by state authorities in Arcachon after initial water tests revealed the bay could be polluted with toxic algae. Further tests conducted by the French Institute for Marine Research and Exploration (IFREMER) concluded the water was safe, allowing authorities to lift the ban. More tests are expected to monitor the situation in the coming weeks. Autopsies have since ruled out oysters as the cause of death in one case but have not confirmed the cause of the second death. Despite the ban being lifted on Thursday, oyster farmers want to wait for the results of the second autopsy before they return to market. "We haven't had enough time to assess the level of danger of this biotoxin. We don't really know much about it and we have put this ban in place," Dupuch said. Arcachon Bay, site of the nation's first oyster farm which opened in the 19th century, produces up to 60 per cent of the oysters consumed in France. The government has offered compensation to farmers, but has not announced how much each will receive. "My farm only covers a small surface in the bay and it is very difficult because we are mainly only selling in the local area and it's very hard today," said oyster farmer Alain Miges. The crisis threw the multi-million-pound French oyster industry into turmoil just days after the start of the new oyster season, which runs from September and peaks at Christmas. In the French capital, consumers remained undeterred by any thoughts of the delicacy being dangerous. "It doesn't dissuade me but I think about those poor farmers who, for weeks, have not been able (to sell) for the third time in a year and are deprived of their revenue," said Roger Porteau as he ate a plate of oysters. The French oyster trade is the fourth largest in the world with an annual output of about 120,000 tons. If further tests confirm the seafood is safe, Arcachon's oyster farmers may soon find the world is their oyster of opportunities once more.

ITN Source | September 16, 2006

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