CHANGES to European Union regulations have come as another setback to Mersea’s oyster fishing industry.

Richard Haward’s Oysters, an eighth generation oyster farming business in Mersea, has been hit hard financially due to the both the coronavirus pandemic and Brexit.

Despite the EU upgrading some British waters to meet European standards, Tom Haward says “Brexit is continuing to batter British industry”.

Mr Haward, the owner of Richard Haward’s Oysters, said: “Certain shellfish areas are now seasonal Class A category - but that still does not solve the massive rise in costs to send food to Europe.

“This is because Brexit has created paperwork which hammers profit margins and logistical uncertainty which hammers supplier and customer confidence.”

Class A means shellfish can be harvested for direct human consumption, whereas Class B means shellfish can only be eaten after purification.

In a recent review by the Food Standards Agency, the waters off Kent, Essex, Devon, Cornwall and Northumberland have been upgraded to Class A, meaning shellfish caught in those waters can now be exported to the EU market.

Mr Haward said: “We had some Class A areas in Mersea before the review, but now some of our areas have been downgraded from A to B due to higher levels of E.coli in the water.

“But the levels of E.coli fluctuate all the time, so we purify all our produce anyway.”

E.coli levels can change frequently and can increase due to rainfall or an increase in waste in the water.

Mr Haward, whose oyster business is believed to be the oldest in the world, said nothing has really changed as he still needs health and origin certificates to send shellfish abroad.

“It costs about £300 to send our oysters aboard each time,” he added.

He used to be able to send produce to countries in the EU at no extra cost due to the former free trade agreement.

Mr Haward said: “Now British oysters are 20 per cent more in cost than EU oysters and there is no guarantee they will arrive on time as they could be held up at border control.

“Unless the Government goes back to the table and rewrites a trade agreement, nothing will change.”