FSA News Item, 12 August 2003
Scallops from a shellfish bed near Plymouth have tested positive for a toxin known as Diarrhetic Shellfish Poison. The toxin is known to be harmful to human health and can cause sickness and diarrhoea.
A temporary ban under the Food and Emergency Protection Act 1985 (FEPA), issued today, is prohibiting the sale or movement of scallops from the area in which the positive samples were fished.
The length of the ban will depend on the results from further sampling. Two negative samples taken from the area seven days apart will enable fishing to resume.