James Wild MP has visited Brancaster Oysters to discuss opportunities and challenges facing the UK’s Pacific oyster sector as part of his ongoing support for local producers.
He met co-owners Cyril and Ben Southerland to gain further insight into one of Norfolk’s leading shellfish businesses, the strong and growing demand for local oysters, and the opportunities for regulatory reform within the industry to help support producers.
Brancaster Oysters has cultivated Pacific oysters in Brancaster Staithe for over 50 years, since Cyril first trialled the species in 1973. The business now supplies restaurants, hotels, and food retailers across Norfolk, employing local staff and contributing to the coastal tourism and hospitality economy.
Renowned chef and author Bobby Groves, in his book Oyster Isles, has highlighted Brancaster among the country’s notable oyster producers.
James toured the sheds to see cultivation and shucking firsthand, and praised the high hygiene and biosecurity standards maintained by the business. He heard how an oyster herpes virus, first identified in France and spread through the movement of infected larvae and spat, has devastated stocks in some areas and why reliable local production therefore provides both economic and biosecurity benefits.
James discussed the regulatory challenges facing farmers, particularly the classification of Pacific oysters as a “non-native species”, which has been a designation which has restricted investment and growth despite the species thriving in English waters for many decades with some of the safest and most closely regulated shellfish practices in the world.
Commenting on his visit, Mr Wild said:
"Brancaster Oysters represents the very best of Norfolk's food and drink sector as a thriving, sustainable business producing world-class seafood. However, the industry is being held back not by market forces or legitimate safety concerns, but by regulatory issues.
“Pacific oysters have been present in our waters for over 100 years and farmed successfully for 60 years, delivering genuine environmental and economic benefits to our coastal communities.
“It is time we updated our approach, supported businesses like Brancaster Oysters to expand, and championed English oysters as the sustainable food success story they undoubtedly are."
