Press Releases & Press Statements

Animal welfare organisation Crustacean Compassion has hit out at the UK seafood industry over new voluntary codes of practice released last week, which fail to protect crabs, lobsters and prawns from agonising injuries and deaths.

Award winning animal welfare organisation Crustacean Compassion is urging supermarkets to commit to a permanent ban on the live sale of lobsters and crabs as part of minimal welfare commitments in the wake of its recent Snapshot report.

Shoppers can now see which supermarkets and food producers care about the welfare of sentient animals such as crabs, lobsters, and prawns, with the publication of a groundbreaking report released today.

Crustacean Compassion has announced a new Chair of the board who has taken over from one of its founding members to head a newly expanded board.

Crustacean Compassion’s industry benchmark, ‘The Snapshot’ finds that decapod crustacean welfare is advancing up the business agenda – but there’s more work to be done on effective implementation of policies.

This inaugural benchmark on decapod crustacean welfare has been designed to objectively assess leading seafood producers, processors and retailers in the UK. Its findings provide companies, consumers and other stakeholders with a clear account of current practices, highlighting areas where progress is being made as well as areas where improvement is needed.

Following comments made by Prue Leith on ITV’s Lorraine regarding the method of killing a live lobster, Crustacean Compassion would like to highlight the unethical and inhumane practice of “stab[bing] it in the head".

Animal protection campaigners have visited Downing Street today to deliver a letter to Prime Minister Liz Truss calling for greater protection for decapod crustaceans like crabs, prawns, lobsters, and nephrops. They were joined by Larry the cat who appears to support the cause!

A monumental step for animal welfare was taken today (7 April 2022) in the House of Lords as the Animal Welfare (Sentience) Bill passed through its final stages to become law. The passing of this Bill is a historic moment for animal welfare as it marks the first-time animals like crabs, lobsters, prawns and nephrops (decapod crustaceans) are protected in law.

It’s rare to hear about cross-party consensus in UK politics, but yesterday [Monday 06 December] this happened in the House of Lords at Westminster and for a most unusual reason – crabs and lobsters.

Can a lobster feel pain when dropped into boiling water? For many years this question has been fiercely debated by scientists, chefs and animal lovers. Today the UK government has given their response – yes, they can.

Crustacean Compassion, the leading organisation campaigning for the humane treatment of decapod crustaceans (animals such as crabs, lobsters and prawns), welcomes the findings of a research project commissioned by the UK government which has been released today.

Snappily dressed shellfish campaigners gathered outside the House of Lords today as Peers put forward amendments[i] to the Animal Welfare (Sentience) Bill to recognise that crabs and lobsters can feel pain.

Michael Gove was presented with a petition today signed by over 35,000 people calling on Defra to “Show Lobsters Some Love”. The petition was presented as a giant Valentine’s Day card for Gove to sign in his capacity as Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs.

Despite a marked increase in scientific evidence about the ability of decapod crustaceans to feel pain and suffer, there has been no government assessment of their welfare and no increase in protections for animals like crabs and lobster.