Overview
- The Hérault prefecture issued an administrative closure after the regional conchyliculture committee preemptively filed a nationwide recall through RappelConso.
- The restriction covers shellfish labeled Étang de Thau or Bouzigues harvested on or after December 22, with affected products distributed across France.
- Consumers are told to stop consumption, return purchases for full refunds, and consult a doctor if gastroenteritis symptoms appear within 48 hours, with extra vigilance urged for immunocompromised people.
- Producers warn of severe holiday-season losses and potential business failures, while a minority that moved stock into basins before the cutoff can keep limited sales under sanitary controls.
- Exceptionally heavy rains on December 22 put Hérault on red flood alert, with water levels near Agde described as the highest since 1994, and a similar 2022 closure was estimated to have cost €6.8 million.