Division B REQUIREMENTS FOR HARVESTING AND HANDLING FOLLOWING HARVESTINGX1

Food business operators harvesting live bivalve molluscs, or handling them immediately after harvesting, must ensure compliance with the following requirements.

1. 1..

   Harvesting techniques and further handling must not cause additional contamination or excessive damage to the shells or tissues of the live bivalve molluscs or result in changes significantly affecting their suitability for treatment by purification, processing or relaying. Food business operators must in particular:

   1. (a)

      adequately protect live bivalve molluscs from crushing, abrasion or vibration;

   2. (b)

      not expose live bivalve molluscs to extreme temperatures;

   3. (c)

      not re-immerse live bivalve molluscs in water that could cause additional contamination;

      and

   4. (d)

      if carrying out conditioning in natural sites, use only areas that the competent authority has classified as being of class A.

2. 2..

   Means of transport must permit adequate drainage, be equipped to ensure the best survival conditions possible and provide efficient protection against contamination.