asked the Minister for the Marine if his attention has been drawn to the report that mussel growers in Bantry Bay, County Cork have been forced to dump mussels when, in fact, a Swedish University confirmed that the mussels were safe to eat.
Written Answers. - Mussels Dumping.
36.
My attention has been drawn to the report referred to by the Deputy. Before referring to this specific episode, I would like to outline the background to the shellfish monitoring programme carried out by my Department.
There is a significant risk of illness from eating contaminated mussels. To protect consumers and markets the most stringent controls must be applied. Since my Department initiated the Shellfish Monitoring Programme in 1984, there have been no reported cases of related human illness due to DSP, diarrhoetic shellfish poisoning, despite high levels of the organism which gives rise to DSP being recorded in the waters in the south-west in 1984, 1987, 1988 and 1989. Additional results of this policy are that the reputation of Irish mussels is excellent and the growers accordingly command the highest prices. This programme has been highly successful and it depends for its success on taking no risks that contaminated fish products should be put on the market for human consumption.
As regards this specific case, no samples were sent by my Department to any Swedish University. I am aware that certain growers did send some samples for testing. I am obviously in no position to comment on what transpired from these tests. For my part, I can inform the House that during the week commencing 21 August 1989 the routine screening by the Fisheries Research Centre of mussel samples taken by officials of my Department from Bantry Bay indicated a toxicity level which justified advising the Southern Health Board to ban harvesting of mussels from Bantry Bay, until such time as subsequent samples showed their toxicity levels to have abated. This led to a closure for one week.