Live shellfish and bivalve mollusc registration documents

Live Shellfish Registration Documents (LSRDs) provide essential tractability for live shellfish, helping to ensure that they are safe to eat and enabling public health professionals to trace any contamination issues back to the food source. The LSRD is to be completed by the harvester and must accompany every batch of shellfish from the point of harvest to the relaying area, dispatch centre or processing establishment. 

How to request registration documents

Dorset Council will only normally issue LSRDs for shellfish that are gathered within their area. Gatherers should always make requests for LSRDs at the local authority that covers the area where they are harvesting shellfish from. LSDRs are free of charge. 

New applicants

5 movement documents will be issued per application. This number will increase once we are satisfied that the document is being completed and processed correctly. 

Established applicants

Appropriate numbers of registration documents (max 30) will be issued to each harvester/gatherer at any one time to enable effective traceability and verification.  

Before LSRDs are issued, gatherers are required to provide the following info:    

• Vessel registration 
• Evidence the vessel is in our waters, e.g. mooring agreement
• MMO License
• Diver’s qualification if applicable
• Names of the businesses they will supply
• Information about species 
• Location of production area

Circumstances where issue of LSRDs may be refused

Dorset Council will not unreasonably refuse to issue the documents to a gatherer. However there are circumstances where it may be appropriate to refuse issuing further documents:

• failure to provide information as required by the application, detailed above 
• failure by the registered LSRD recipient to return completed and legible, pink copies of the document to Dorset Council
• where there are gross and repeated anomalies in information provided on the LSRDs
• where there is evidence of persons acting in default of their legal obligations
• if a production area/classified bed is closed temporarily, Dorset Council will not issue further LSRDs for that area and may suspend the validity of any such LSRDs already issued for that area
• where an application has been made in relation to a bed that is not classified, i.e. not listed on the CEFAS classification zone map

How information provided on LSRDs is used

Information provided on LSRDs may be used by this authority to verify the tractability of shellfish in their district at any point from the point of harvest to the point of consumption. Information contained on the completed and returned LSDRs may also be shared with other agencies such as Southern IFCA for verification and enforcement purposes.