Patrick Galbraith
London: Boiling live crabs and lobsters is to be banned as part of an animal rights crackdown in the United Kingdom.
In its long-awaited animal welfare strategy published on Monday, the government said “live boiling is not an acceptable killing method” and pledged to publish guidance on approved practices.
The move comes after laws introduced under the previous government in 2022 determined that decapods, which include crabs, lobsters and crayfish, and cephalopods, such as squid and octopuses, were sentient and could feel pain.
The ban forms part of a wider overhaul by Labour that will also end trail-hunting and potentially prohibit the use of cages for chickens and crates for pigs.
Critics have accused the government of “going to war on the countryside” with the changes after it hit farmers with an inheritance tax raid that will come into force from April. Under the policy, farms worth more than £1 million ($2 million) will be taxed at 20 per cent.
Restaurateurs and the seafood industry criticised the plans, accusing the government of burdening businesses with more red tape at a time of rising wages and other costs.
James Chiavarini, who owns restaurants Il Portico and La Palombe in the London suburb of Kensington, said: “I think it’s the aim of this government to remove us from our sense of place and purpose in the world and that’s what a lot of food tradition stands for.”
Other methods of dispatching shellfish include electrocution or freezing to stun them before boiling them.
Chiavarini said: “Electrocution is a ridiculous thing. What are we supposed to do – shove them in a plug socket? Honestly, what restaurant is going to actually electrocute the lobsters before boiling them?”
Industry experts said banning live boiling could lead to a surge in frozen seafood being imported.
Shellfish Association of Great Britain chief executive David Jarrad said: “If somebody’s wanting to buy a live crab or lobster, they’re not going to pay for it if it’s already dead. In practice, there is an inherent advantage to the whole supply chain to look after the product to your best ability without causing crustaceans stress so that we can get top prices for them.
“Our concern in the UK is that if restaurants and hotels do not wish to buy stunning equipment, which costs around £3500, they will just import frozen seafood from abroad.”
John Loag of JPL shellfish, which exports lobsters and crabs from Scotland, said the government “just hasn’t got a clue”. “The shellfish business is already ridiculously tough. This is one of the last things you want to be thinking about,” he said.
“We’ve got rising costs, rising wages, everything is just getting harder and harder. This is certainly not an industry I’d be looking to get into if I hadn’t been in it for 30-odd years already.”
Greater ‘respect’ for shellfish
Labour has also pledged to look at improving the welfare of shellfish throughout the supply chain. The welfare strategy pledges to improve conditions for prawns as well as squid and octopus.
Animal welfare charity Crustacean Compassion, which has lobbied the government to ban boiling, welcomed the news, and said it meant shellfish would be given greater “respect”.
“We wholeheartedly welcome the government’s intentions to ban the live boiling of conscious crustaceans and address other areas of welfare compromise,” chief executive Ben Sturgeon said.
“Recognising the sentience of crabs, lobsters and other decapod crustaceans, and banning inhumane practices like live boiling, is a vital step forward for animal welfare.”
According to a YouGov poll in February, 65 per cent of adults are opposed to shellfish being dropped into boiling water. The poll was commissioned by Crustacean Compassion and 2223 adults were surveyed.
Tim Bonner, chief executive of the farming advocacy group Countryside Alliance, said: “Labour’s animal welfare strategy seems to be driven more by the agenda of animal rights activists than it does by actually improving animal welfare.”
The government separately faces a backlash from some animal rights activists after failing to ban imports from overseas fur farms as part of the animal rights overhaul.
It has also failed to follow through on a manifesto commitment to ban hunting trophies, such as leopard pelts and stuffed lion heads, from being imported into Britain from abroad.
The Telegraph, London
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