Marine Environment: North East

(asked on 22nd February 2022) - View Source

Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what remedial steps his Department has taken on the North Sea coast since the algal bloom affecting crabs, shellfish, and pet dogs in the North East in 2021.


Answered by
Victoria Prentis Portrait
Victoria Prentis
Attorney General
This question was answered on 25th February 2022

Defra in partnership with Cefas and the Environment Agency continue to investigate the cause of the incident, screening over 1,000 potential chemical contaminants, sampling water, sediments and crab tissue. Currently, lines of evidence point to a harmful algal bloom.

We continue to work closely with those in the affected area, monitoring the current situation and keeping them up to date with the findings of the investigation, including the results of ongoing testing.

We are aware that there has been an increase in reports of vomiting and diarrhoea in dogs in the Northeast, and across England. The University of Liverpool Small Animal Veterinary Surveillance Network (SAVSNET) has been investigating and found no link to the affected dogs and the incident. While it cannot definitively point to a common cause, SAVSNET does suggest this is a transmissible infection rather than contact with the beach area or sea water.

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