UK bans cooking of crustaceans and cephalopods alive

The UK government has announced that it is expanding the scope of the animal welfare legislation based on reports that crustaceans such as shrimp and crabs and cephalopods such as squid and octopus are also conscious. The amendment would make it illegal to boil or pack live shrimp, crab or octopus for sale in the UK if the Animal Welfare Act comes into effect.

A scavenger welfare bill under consideration in the UK would ban the boiling or packaging of conscious animals alive without stunning or freezing. Although the bill states that all vertebrates are conscious, an amendment was submitted in July 2021 stating that invertebrates such as crabs, shrimp, and octopuses are also conscious and therefore fall within the scope of the bill after being pointed out by some animal rights groups.

The London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE) team reviewed more than 300 studies and determined that crustaceans and cephalopods were conscious, and said they should be included in the animal welfare bill vermuy.

According to the research team, crustaceans and cephalopods have opioid receptors, which are analgesic substances, so they have been shown to have nociception. Also, the research team points out that rejection of physical assault, such as trying to run away from boiling water, is evidence of suffering from pain.

The research team said that the amendment to the law has not been protected so far, despite scientific evidence that cephalopods such as octopuses are conscious for several years. He added that one way the UK is taking the lead in animal welfare is to protect invertebrates, which humans have hitherto completely ignored.

The UK government says the Animal Welfare Act recognizes all animals with a spine as being conscious, but unlike other invertebrates, crustaceans and cephalopods have a complex central nervous system, an important conscious feature. In addition, the amendment of the law does not directly affect existing laws, industry practices such as fishing, shellfish fishing, or the food service industry.

UK Animal Welfare Minister Jack Goldsmith said the Animal Welfare Act is a guarantee that animal welfare is being considered correctly. Related information can be found here.