New organic shellfish standard in Britain

In response to increasing demand from shellfish growers, the Soil Association has developed an organic standard for the certification of bivalve shellfish production in the UK. The standard was considered by the Government's Advisory Committee on Organic Standards (ACOS) last month - and was officially recognised by the Government (Defra) soon after. This gives the green light for certification to commence. Peter Bridson, manager of the Soil Association's work on aquaculture, commented: “ The standards require a greater understanding of site characteristics to ensure no significant negative impacts on the surrounding environment: wastes must be re-used and recycled wherever possible, and harvesting must be environmentally-friendly – avoiding dredging for scallops, for example." The development of the organic standard has also attracted support from the shellfish industry. Michael Laurenson, managing director of Blueshell Mussels, and chairman of the Scottish Shellfish Marketing Group said: “The Scottish shellfish industry works hard to maintain its high standards and we welcome the Soil Association's development of organic certification for the industry.”