Why is live boiling getting banned in the UK summary
- UK plans to ban live boiling of crustaceans by 2030
- Scientific evidence shows crustaceans are sentient and can feel pain
- Switzerland, Norway and New Zealand already prohibit boiling crustaceans alive
- 65 percent of UK consumers oppose live boiling according to YouGov poll
- Humane alternatives include electrical stunning, cooling and hydrostatic pressure methods
The UK Government has announced its intention to ban the live boiling of crustaceans, such as crabs, lobsters, shrimp and prawns.
The decision was made as part of the government’s new animal welfare strategy, ruling that “boiling is not an acceptable killing method”.
The ban has been under consideration for some time. In 2021, the then-government ruled that crabs, octopus and lobsters were sentient beings.
The government aims to implement the ban, along with other policies in the strategy, by 2030.
Do crustaceans feel pain?
While the topic remains divisive, there is significant scientific evidence that these sea creatures are able to feel pain, as their responses to boiling are consistent with pain responses. Those who argue that they don’t feel pain suggest that this is due to their lack of a complex brain. Even in humans, pain is difficult to measure and self-assessment is often the only way to do so.
A recent review by the London School of Economics suggested that because crustaceans possess nociceptors, which detect and respond to damaging stimuli, and that they physically respond to certain stimuli, they are sentient and feel pain.
The UK would not be the first country to ban live boiling. In fact, the practice is already banned in several other countries, including Switzerland, Norway and New Zealand. Animal welfare regulations in these countries include crustaceans, unlike the EU, where laws around humane killing only apply to vertebrates.
A poll last year by the polling organisation YouGov found that 65% of UK consumers are opposed to boiling crustaceans alive, while 75% support the use of more humane methods of slaughter.
Why are crustaceans boiled alive?
The main reason that crustaceans are boiled alive is a food safety one. According to the BBC, a UK broadcaster, lobsters and other shellfish have bacteria naturally present in their flesh. After death, this bacteria rapidly multiplies and releases toxins that cooking may not destroy. Therefore, boiling alive helps avoid the risk this poses.
Nevertheless, scientists believe that more humane methods of slaughter exist without sacrificing food safety. Several methods exist of stunning crustaceans before boiling them, rendering them insensible and thus preventing them from suffering. These include electrical stunning or cooling, although the effectiveness of the latter depends on the species.
Furthermore, crustaceans can also be killed without boiling at all. As well as being stunned, they can also be killed with an electrical charge. Splitting, which involves a quick cut along the crustacean’s central nervous system, is also believed to be humane, but requires a skilled operator. Spiking, which involves destroying their nervous system with a sharp point, also requires skill. Finally, killing by using high pressure in a hydrostatic pressure processor is seen as having advantages related to welfare, and also kills microorganisms.
While these methods exist, boiling alive remains widespread and the UK will be in the minority once its ban comes into force.
