Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment he has made of the potential impact of shortages of water treatment chemicals and sewage treatment on water classification in areas used for the production of bivalve molluscs.
England has an adequate supply of water chemicals, there is no shortage.
The situation with hauliers may lead to a requirement for a temporary reduction in chemical dosing at some wastewater treatment sites. The Regulatory Position Statement (RPS) was issued by the Environment Agency (EA) to facilitate a reduction in dosing requirements as a last resort. The RPS does not allow changes to discharges to shellfish waters and therefore will not impact the classification of shellfish harvesting areas used for the production of Bivalve Molluscs.