Majority of mussel firms still face harvesting restrictions

Last week, the Shetland Times reported that only one of 20 designated areas has been given the all clear to resume farming after a lengthy hold-up this summer.

The ban followed following reports that around 70 people had reported symptoms of food poisoning after eating mussels from Shetland this summer in south-east England.

Early August the council’s environmental health department ordered harvesting of mussels from all 80 sites be halted after high levels of the naturally-occurring phytoplankton were detected during routine tests, the newspaper said.