- Asked by: Jamie McGrigor, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Friday, 08 September 2000
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Current Status:
Answered by Susan Deacon on 20 November 2000
To ask the Scottish Executive whether the severity of winter conditions has any effect on the appearance of amnesic shellfish poisoning.
Answer
There is insufficient scientific data to specify whether the severity of winter conditions has any effect on the incidence of amnesic shellfish poisoning (ASP). The growth of the causative organisms is cyclic, reflecting the spring and autumn planktonic blooms which in turn are caused by fluctuations in temperature, light and nutrients.
- Asked by: Jamie McGrigor, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Friday, 08 September 2000
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Current Status:
Answered by Susan Deacon on 20 November 2000
To ask the Scottish Executive (a) why the areas covered by boxes closed under the Food and Environment Protection Act 1985 are the si'e they are; (b) how often tests are conducted in each box area; (c) how many scallops are sampled from each box area; (d) how often tests are conducted in box areas following closure; (e) what influences the actual sampling point within a box area; (f) whether the Global Positioning Satellite co-ordinates are available for each sample point; (g) whether box area sampling points vary and, if so, in what manner; (h) if half box areas are closed (e.g. Orkney), whether this indicates that samples are collected from more than one location in every box area, and (i) why some box areas remain closed even after readings fall below the safety threshold.
Answer
The size of the boxes used to monitor offshore scallop grounds have to be large enough to ensure public safety and were set using hydrographic information. The boxes were accepted by the EU.
- The EC Directive (91/492/EEC) requires periodic monitoring of live bivalve molluscs. The Food Standards Agency Scotland (FSAS) ensure that Scottish boxes are monitored throughout the year. When algal toxin levels are above the statutory level the frequency of sampling is increased.
- 10-12 scallops are taken as one sample, two of these samples, from separate tows, are taken from each box.
- Following closure of a box by a Food and Environment Protection Act Order, FSAS aim to resample every fortnight until the algal toxin level drops to close to the statutory limit. Thereafter, weekly sampling is requested.
- A commercial dredger that fishes on known scallop grounds within each box undertakes sampling.
- Global Positioning Satellite co-ordinates are not used when sampling boxes off-shore, although the boat involved with the sampling can provide the FRS Marine Laboratory with their position if necessary.
- Samples are collected from known scallop grounds. There may be some variation in sampling points, from trip to trip, within the same relative vicinity.
- Generally two samples are collected from within each box. If land bisects the box additional samples may be collected.
Boxes remain closed until two algal toxin results, below that of the statutory limit, are obtained with at least one week between each result. However there are some cases where boxes remain closed although the toxin level has dropped below the statutory limit, since other algal toxins may have increased in the area thus affecting the same shellfish species.
- Asked by: Jamie McGrigor, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Friday, 08 September 2000
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Current Status:
Answered by Susan Deacon on 20 November 2000
To ask the Scottish Executive what governs the severity and duration of outbreaks of amnesic shellfish poisoning.
Answer
I refer the member to the answer given to question S1W-9757.
- Asked by: Jamie McGrigor, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Friday, 08 September 2000
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Current Status:
Answered by Susan Deacon on 20 November 2000
To ask the Scottish Executive whether the appearance of amnesic shellfish poisoning is cyclical and whether there is any trend evident in its appearance.
Answer
The Food Standards Agency has advised me that amnesic shellfish poisoning is caused by phytoplanktonic algae creating blooms which are fed upon by bivalve molluscs such as scallops. The growth of these causative organisms is cyclic, therefore the poisoning also tends to be cyclical. However, given the relatively short period over which monitoring for ASP has been carried out, there is insufficient evidence from which to derive specific seasonal trends in the occurrence of amnesic shellfish poisoning.
- Asked by: Jamie McGrigor, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Friday, 08 September 2000
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Current Status:
Answered by Susan Deacon on 20 November 2000
To ask the Scottish Executive what efforts are being made to reduce the period between a recommended closure and a legal closure of a box area under the Food and Environment Protection Act.
Answer
The Food Standards Agency aim to place a Food and Environment Protection Act (FEPA) Order as quickly as possible to ensure public safety. To help minimise delay, a draft Order is prepared by the Scottish Executive Solicitor's Office Legal Service while ministerial clearance for the Order is sought. Communications between parties involved in the making of FEPA Orders has been improved through more efficient use of email and fax, though ways of making further improvements continue to be investigated. Some improvements have also been possible with regard to the statutory process, which help avoid the potential problems of FEPA Orders expiring during parliamentary recess.
- Asked by: Jamie McGrigor, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Friday, 08 September 2000
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Current Status:
Answered by Susan Deacon on 20 November 2000
To ask the Scottish Executive why the Fisheries Research Service testing of gonad only is different from the end product testing of gonad and white meat mashed together.
Answer
The Food Standards Agency has advised me that toxins accumulate to differing levels in the different edible parts of the scallop. Proportionate toxin levels in the gonad are likely to be considerably greater than in the white meat. Testing an amalgam of white meat and gonad mashed together will therefore lead to a lower result than the current gonad only test. As it is possible to consume only the gonad, it is the result of the gonad test which must be used to ensure the protection of public health.
- Asked by: Jamie McGrigor, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Friday, 08 September 2000
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Current Status:
Answered by Susan Deacon on 20 November 2000
To ask the Scottish Executive what occurs when a shellfish gonad is too small to form an adequate sample for testing.
Answer
The gonads from 10-12 scallops are used to provide a sample for analysis for algal toxins, never a single gonad. Even after spawning there is sufficient material present from 10-12 scallops to permit analysis.
- Asked by: Jamie McGrigor, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Friday, 08 September 2000
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Current Status:
Answered by Susan Deacon on 20 November 2000
To ask the Scottish Executive how many personnel are involved in (a) sample collection; (b) sample transportation; (c) sample testing and (d) result verification in relation to amnesic shellfish poisoning.
Answer
The number of people involved in amnesic shellfish poisoning (ASP) testing varies depending on the source and origin of the samples. Collection involves sea-going staff and cultivation site owners. Transportation may be by air, boat and or road. Scientific staff undertake preparation, analysis and verification of sample results.
- Asked by: Jamie McGrigor, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Friday, 08 September 2000
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Current Status:
Answered by Susan Deacon on 20 November 2000
To ask the Scottish Executive what contingency plans are in place for sampling for amnesic shellfish poisoning during (a) bad weather and (b) the holiday season.
Answer
The shellfish toxin sampling continues throughout holidays and weekends to ensure that public health is protected at all times. However bad weather will limit the harvesting of samples. Measures are taken to ensure that immediately the weather improves sampling is resumed.
- Asked by: Jamie McGrigor, MSP for Highlands and Islands, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Friday, 08 September 2000
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Current Status:
Answered by Susan Deacon on 20 November 2000
To ask the Scottish Executive what the early warning signs are of an outbreak of amnesic shellfish poisoning.
Answer
The early warning sign for an outbreak of amnesic shellfish poisoning (ASP) is the presence of an algal phytoplankton organism called Pseudo-nitzschia. Scallops filter sea water and consume the planktonic organism which in turn causes a build-up of toxin in the shellfish. Scallops containing large quantity of this toxin, if eaten, cause ASP in humans.
