Technical Reports

This section includes technical and scientific reports relating to bivalve mollusc safety. Many of these documents were produced by our experts under our former designation as EURL for bacteriological and viral contamination of bivalve molluscs, however the information contained within remains relevant.

• Addendum to the Report on the Equivalence of EU and US Legislation for the Sanitary Production of Live Bivalve Molluscs for Human Consumption
• Comparison  of  the  European  Union  (EU)  and  the  United  States  National  Shellfish  Sanitation Programme (NSSP) microbiological standards in relation to EU Regulation 2015/2285. 
• Recommendations from the 2nd International Workshop on Shellfish Area Classification and Management
• Comparison of Two and Three Class plans for evaluating E. coli levels in Live Bivalve Molluscs
• Report on the possible harmonisation of EU and Codex microbiological standards for live bivalve molluscs
• Discussion Paper on Adoption of Codex E. coli Criteria for Live Bivalve Molluscs

In addition, reports and guidance documents on various aspects of depuration, including advice for purification plant operators and regulators can be found on the Cefas shellfish depuration advice webpage.

The European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) has produced a number of relevant reports. These include the following:-

• Scientific Opinion on Norovirus (NoV) in oysters: methods, limits and control options
• Evaluation of heat treatments, different from those currently established in the EU legislation, that could be applied to live bivalve molluscs from B and C production areas, that have not been submitted to purification or relaying, in order to eliminate pathogenic microorganisms
• Analysis of the European baseline survey of norovirus in oysters

Sanitary survey reports for all classified areas in England and Wales are available online and provide useful examples of the information required in a Growing Area Assessment.

Please contact us for further information or assistance.