Gulp! Mystery oyster killer threatens to deprive France of its precious delicacy

Adam Sage in Paris and Will Pavia Gastronomes are in a cold sweat over warnings that they might be deprived of a cherished delicacy by a mystery disease that is devastating France's oyster population. With farmers lamenting a sudden and inexplicable rise in the death rate of young oysters, an alarming shortage is looming. The problem is so grave that Michel Barnier, the Agriculture Minister, abandoned World Trade Organisation negotiations yesterday for an urgent visit to scientists and producers on the Atlantic Coast. He urged researchers to save next year's Christmas and new year meals in France with a cure for la surmortalité mystérieuse. Several theories have been suggested to explain the phenomenon, including toxic algae and a rise in sea temperatures leading to an abnormally high quantity of the plankton eaten by... [read full story]