FSA Letter on EU Discussions on Norovirus Controls in Shellfish

Dear Interested Party                                                                      30 July 2013

Norovirus in shellfish – an update on status of EU negotiations

Following my letter dated 08 May 2013 I would like to provide you with an update on the EU discussion on norovirus controls in shellfish.

The EU Commission gathered views from Member States at a Working Group meeting on 27^th June 2013.  Following detailed and constructive discussions, during which many different views were expressed, it was agreed that no limits should be set at this stage due to the limitations of the current methodology and the gaps in current knowledge about norovirus. However, it was agreed that there is a need to address food safety risks associated with norovirus in raw shellfish and the Commission, together with Member States, will continue to explore risk management options, identifying areas where harmonised practices could be introduced.  There was also support for a harmonised EU baseline study, as recommended by EFSA, to help fill gaps in the data that have been identified.

The FSA is continuing to explore the feasibility and effectiveness of alternative approaches which could be applied, such as buffer zones and alert systems to facilitate active management of harvesting.  I would welcome any evidence based information and/or suggestions in the coming months to inform these considerations.