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New government legislation is being drawn up which would make it illegal to boil lobsters without stunning them first.
The House of Lords is currently making amendments to the Animal Welfare (Sentience) Bill which is being changed to make sure that our sea-dwelling chums – lobsters, crabs, octopuses, squid and other assorted invertebrates – are recognised as capable of feeling pain, as animals with backbones currently are.
The amendment, which was suggested by Baroness Hayman of Ullock, means that restaurants and fishmongers would stun or chill their lobsters before boiling them, which, although it still sounds pretty damn brutal (‘Sure, sure – freeze me then let me meet my fishy maker by dunking me in a vat of hot liquid,’ said no lobster ever) is actually a much more humane way to go about things.
It follows an open letter from the campaigning group Crustacean Compassion, who want more humane treatment of lobsters, crabs and their ilk in the UK, and which was signed by Bill Bailey, Chris Packham and Dr Julia Wrathall, the Chief Scientific Officer of the RSPCA.
Crustacean Compassion’s co-director Maisie Tomlinson said to The Times: ‘It is wonderful to hear that the government is planning to support the inclusion of decapods and cephalopods in the sentience bill. There is more than enough evidence for the ability of these sensitive, captivating creatures to feel pain and suffer. They undergo appalling treatment in the food industry.’
Seems kind of weird to link to this here, but... lobster lunch for £20, anyone?
London’s best seafood restaurants are over here.