England will ban the boiling of lobsters while they are alive, something that is already illegal in countries such as Norway, Switzerland and New Zealand.
The ban will be based on a law passed by the Conservatives in 2022, which states that invertebrates, including octopuses, crabs and lobsters, are sentient beings and feel pain like other animals.
More humane methods of killing lobsters before boiling are considered to be cutting the head with a sharp knife, electrocution and freezing.
Ben Sturgeon, chief executive of the charity Crustacean Compassion, welcomed the plans, saying: “When alive, conscious animals are placed in boiling water, they endure several minutes of excruciating pain. This is torture and it is entirely avoidable. Humane alternatives, such as electrocution, are readily available.”
Animal welfare organizations argue that stunning lobsters with an electric device or chilling them with cold air or freezing them are more humane methods.
The ban is part of a series of restrictions for the protection of animals, such as the ban on hunting hares during their breeding season, the end of puppy farming and the ban on electric shock collars for dogs.
Far-right Nigel Farage, leader of Reform UK, said the move is “authoritarian control mania” and added that “you might as well ban walking dogs in the countryside, as they hunt rabbits, hares, deer and foxes.”
Source: Guardian
