16 Harvesting bivalve molluscs for human consumption
Standard requires a seafood business may only harvest bivalve molluscs for sale for human consumption from areas that have been classified, subject to a marine biotoxin management plan – believes this requirement will have major ramifications for Queensland’s oyster industry and will represent a significant cost to harvesters and any new operations that commence and may delay harvesting of product until classification of their area is complete. Believes this increase in costs may detract people from entering the industry.
Talks about oyster areas in Queensland with 111 areas in Central Queensland that harvest wild oysters from natural stocks on rocky headlands. All of these areas would need to be classified under this standard, probably as remote areas.
Due to the remoteness of the wild oyster areas of central Queensland, (there is no human habitation and no impact of actual or potential pollution sources), it is reasonable to expect that oysters would be safe from non-biotoxin hazards. The practical limitations imposed by the total distance the oyster areas cover make it impossible to classify all areas as remote.
Queensland Shellfish Quality Assurance Monitoring Program (QSWAMP) is administered by Fisheries and is responsible for classification of oyster growing areas in Queensland.
States that given the distance the oyster areas are spread over, many of the areas would need to be classified individually and this would represent a substantial task for the authority responsible for administering the QSWAMP. Remarks in many cases it would simply not be practical given the costs involved to classify areas to enable the harvester to sell product for human consumption.
Believes that the need to apply the monitoring required under this Standard is excessive and there should be some acknowledgement of the reduced food safety risk for these operations.
Suggests a less comprehensive monitoring program for these oyster areas could be included as part of the oyster harvester’s food safety program which is required for all food businesses that handle bivalve molluscs.
States that the standard will not impact on Queensland’s scallop industry as all product is marketed as abductor muscle only and is therefore exempt.
States that any future marine aquaculture planning will need to consider the need for classification of growing areas as this will influence possible locations of new areas.
