England and Wales - Shellfish Classification Zones of England and Wales

Map of Bivalve mollusc (shellfish) classification zones. Available on Magic, Spire and Cefas website. Bivalve mollusc (shellfish) harvesting areas are classified according to the extent of contamination shown by monitoring of *E. coli* in shellfish flesh. Treatment processes are stipulated according to the classification status of the area. The classification categories are: **Class A** (80% of samples must be ≤ 230 *E. coli*/100g; all samples must be less than 700 E. coli/100g) - molluscs can be harvested for direct human consumption **Class B** (90% of samples must be ≤ 4600 *E. coli*/100g; all samples must be less than 46000 E. coli/100g) - molluscs can be sold for human consumption: - after purification in an approved plant, or - after re-laying in an approved Class A re-laying area, or - after an EC-approved heat treatment process. **Class C** (≤ 46000 *E. coli*/100g) - molluscs can be sold for human consumption only after re-laying for at least two months in an approved re-laying area followed, where necessary, by treatment in a purification centre, or after an EC-approved heat treatment process. In all cases, the health standards in Annex III of EC Regulations 853/2004 and the microbiological criteria adopted under EC Regulation 2073/2005 must be met. Molluscs must not be subject to production or collected in prohibited areas. There are two classification systems in England and Wales: ( 1.)the annual or "temporary" classification system ( 2.)the long-term classification (LTC) system. New areas are initially given annual/temporary classifications until they meet the criteria for an LTC. Harvesting sites that do not meet LTC criteria are automatically classified under the annual/temporary classification system. Classification: Class A=1, Class B=2, Class C=3, Prohibited=4, Long Term Class B=5, Seasonal Class B/Class C=6, Seasonal ClassA/Class B=7