Victims of a sanitation system “which has shown its limits”, the oyster farmers of the Arcachon basin, deprived of sales for the New Year due to food poisoning, estimate their losses at some 8 million euros and are considering to file a complaint if they are not partially compensated. “Today, there is a feeling of injustice that reigns among us,” declared Olivier Laban, president of the Arcachon Aquitaine Regional Shellfish Farming Committee (CRCAA), after an exceptional general assembly of producers in Gujan -Mestras (Gironde). For them, the sanitation system on the banks of the basin is at the origin of the water pollution which has contaminated the oysters, banned for sale since Wednesday evening by the department prefecture. Analyzes revealed the presence of “norovirus”, responsible for gastroenteritis, in farms, and many consumers fell ill around Christmas.
In two and a half months, it rained some 550 mm of water – or 550 liters per square meter – in the area, compared to 800 mm per year generally, said Olivier Laban. “The sanitation system overflowed and the dirty water migrated to the lowest point, the waters of the basin,” he stressed. “As much as we are capable of accepting the consequences of natural phenomena, it is part of the risks of the profession, so much so (…) The banning decision that was taken is the right one but we have difficulty swallowing it because we have nothing to do with it, my colleagues and I did our job well,” continued the representative of the profession. “Today, we need to know who will pay the bill,” he said, pointing the finger at the communities managing the sanitation network “which has shown its limits.”
New Year’s sales would have represented some 800 tonnes of oysters, for a turnover of 7 to 9 million euros. The CRCAA, which is due to meet the prefect next week, reserves the right to file a complaint if “a concrete solution to compensate the affected companies” is not quickly found. “Who wants peace prepares for war. Unfortunately, that’s how it works,” concluded Mr. Laban. “We are not asking for reimbursement of all turnover, only of the lost gross margin” because the oysters returned to the parks will ultimately be sold well, once the water quality is restored. The deadline usually takes 28 days for this type of contamination, a producer told AFP on Thursday.
