“I no longer want to be dependent on pollution”: before the holiday rush, he protected his oysters from viruses

There will be oysters on New Year’s Eve. This is the promise that Jean-Philippe Dupont, 41, oyster farmer in Moutiers-en-Retz in Loire-Atlantique, made to himself. Two years after the catastrophic winter season where a large number of oyster farmers were unable to market their oysters, due to a risk of contamination with norovirus, the gastroenteritis virus, Jean-Philippe Dupont is sure of being able to serve his customers, whatever happens.

His secret? A significant investment in a “clear”, a pond dug in the marsh neighboring his farm, where the quality of the water is guaranteed. “I restored a large clearing of 40 acres. It allows me to isolate 30 tonnes of oysters,” he assures.

30 tonnes is almost the quantity he will ship for the end of year holidays. The equivalent of 25% of its annual turnover. The oysters are already there, in the basin, waiting to be put into the basket and sent to the markets, to the supermarket with which he works directly or to the fishmongers and restaurants.

A long-term investment

The investment in this basin is far from neutral: it cost him 18,000 euros to clean the clear and prepare it to receive the shellfish by installing tables to place the oysters. “It should not be seen as an investment over the year but over the long term. I no longer want to be dependent on the pollution that arrives at sea from rivers, it’s too risky. It’s a bit like a big insurance policy for us.”

Above all, the assurance of not reliving 2023? “The impact has been colossal for us and for the entire profession. Not only can you not touch your oysters, but you have to buy them again to serve your customers, otherwise you risk losing them. The phone rings, you answer, in the end you can no longer reassure the customers but you do it anyway,” he recalls.

Reinforcement for peak activity

But the dark hours are behind him and he is getting ready to set up the big conditioning mat. “It allows you to work without having to travel and, above all, to stay in the conditioning room which is temperate, so as not to work in the cold and humidity. When we start at 4 a.m., it’s nice,” he smiles. Tons of oysters, mainly No. 3, will parade. At just under 80g each, that’s several hundred thousand. They grew up a few steps away, in a 4 ha park, but also off the coast of Bréhat (Côtes-d’Armor) where the oyster farmer has other parks, a little more sheltered from pollution.

To help get through the peak of activity, three more people are hired, bringing the operation’s employees to seven. It is indeed necessary to be able to provide not only the usual points of sale but also the exceptional “tours” that the oyster farmer has set up. “I have a truck, a 27 ton, which goes to Drôme. We go there three times this time of year.” Other vans also take turns near Sancerre (Cher) throughout the holiday period. The holidays will come later, one week in February. “Until then, we have a little work,” he laughs.