We are responsible for ensuring that shellfish from designated harvesting areas meet the health standards laid down in EU Regulation 853/2004.
Classifications are awarded in accordance with the FSS Protocol for Classification and Management of E.coli results. LBM harvesting areas are classified by monitoring the levels of E.coli in shellfish flesh.
Treatment processes are specified according to the classification status of the area.
Shellfish classification categories and permitted levels of E.coli/100g flesh:
| Category | Classification criteria | Action |
|---|---|---|
| A | 80% of the samples collected during the review period ≤ 230 E.coli/100g of flesh and intravalvular liquid. The remaining 20% of samples ≤ 700 E.Coli/100g of flesh and intravalvular liquid. | May go directly for human consumption if end product standard met. |
| B | 90% of samples collected during review period ≤ 4600 E.coli/100g of the flesh and intravalvular liquid. The remaining 10% of samples ≤ 46 000 E. Coli/100g of flesh and intravalvular liquid. | Must be subject to purification, relaying in Class A area (to meet Category A requirements) or cooked by an approved method. |
| C | Samples ≤ 46,000 E.coli/100g of the flesh and intravalvular liquid.
| Must be subject to relaying for a period of at least 2 months or cooked by an approved method |
| Above 46,000 E.coli/100g of the flesh and intravalvular liquid. | Prohibited. Harvesting not permitted. |
In addition, there is a legal requirement for food business operators (FBOs) to ensure the shellfish harvested from classified waters are safe to eat. Therefore, before placing shellfish on the market, FBOs must ensure that they comply with the health standards in Annex III of EC Regulations 853/2004 and the Microbiological Criteria adopted under EC Regulation 2073/2005.
The current shellfish area classifications can be found by accessing our shellfish management & classification system, SMC.
If you have any queries regarding the use of SMC, please contact shellfish@fss.scot.
Results of our E.coli monitoring programme can be found on our Shellfish Monitoring and Classification Scotland - Sample Results page.
Approved exporting businesses who do not know their TRACES/approval number can find it by following this link: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/businesses-approved-to-export-to-the-eu