UK MISSES OPPORTUNITY TO BECOME WORLD LEADER ON DECAPOD WELFARE

UK misses opportunity to become world leader on decapod welfare.  Animal welfare organisation Crustacean Compassion has hit out at the UK seafood industry over their self-developed new voluntary codes of practice, which fail to protect both decapod crustaceans and businesses from the risks of poor welfare.

The UK Government legally recognised that decapods – such as crabs, lobsters, prawns and nephrops – can feel pain with their historic inclusion in the Animal Welfare (Sentience) Act 2022. Since then, the seafood sector has been waiting for guidance on how to implement and ensure high welfare standards for decapods throughout the food chain, as expected for other sentient animals in the food supply chain.

This guidance was published last week, Friday 02 August 2024, after a lengthy development process by Seafish, the Shellfish Association of Great Britain (SAGB) and the Crab and Lobster Management Group (CMG). However, Crustacean Compassion says the long-awaited codes are “a missed opportunity” to help UK seafood suppliers remain competitive in the face of rising welfare expectations.

Inhumane practices, causing immense suffering are still permitted and include: 

• Boiling alive

• Freezing to death

• Splitting, spiking and tailing

• Removal of claws

• Claw nicking

• The sale of live decapods to members of the public

Although the documents do describe best practice in some cases, the codes are voluntary, and companies are not obliged to follow the guidance. This means hundreds of millions of vulnerable animals² will continue to be tortured to death every year, including by home cooks.

Smoke and mirrors 

Dr Ben Sturgeon, CEO of Crustacean Compassion, said: “The seafood industry is using smoke and mirrors to give the illusion of improving animal welfare whilst still allowing animals to suffer needlessly. The codes were a chance to build on the recognition of sentience in decapod crustaceans, but instead they are an exercise in doing nothing and will set back welfare standards for years to come. We’ve developed our own guidance³ that clearly outlines what higher welfare looks like for decapods and we encourage all seafood businesses to follow our advice if they want to be fit for the future.”

Crustacean Compassion argues that the codes will not help a struggling seafood industry future-proof itself against reputational, commercial and legal risks posed by poor decapod welfare.

Supermarkets are setting the pace 

While most of the seafood industry has been dragging its feet over welfare, supermarkets have taken the lead by demanding more for decapods. In its annual report on welfare standards in the food industry⁴, Crustacean Compassion found that some major retailers are already tightening up their sourcing policies on areas such on capture methods, handling practices and humane slaughter.

“With public awareness around decapod welfare growing rapidly, we’re seeing more retailers respond by setting a higher bar for their suppliers,” Dr Sturgeon said. “Companies such as Marks & Spencer and Waitrose are starting to insist on higher welfare crustacean products for their customers, so suppliers who don’t meet those standards will soon be frozen out.”

New government must not let welfare slip through the net 

Crustacean Compassion is calling on the new Labour government to reject the industry’s codes of practice and to include decapods in the Animal Welfare Act.

Dr Sturgeon added:

“At a time when the UK government, and the fishing industry, seeks to encourage more people to eat British seafood, it is vital that the high welfare expectations of today’s consumers can be met. The UK is rightly proud of our high levels of animal welfare and this was an opportunity to lead the world – it is only fitting that these levels increase as our scientific understanding of sentience and other welfare factors improves.”

In conclusion, the codes do not represent an advance in welfare or support the seafood industry to address urgent welfare and environmental issues. By ignoring legislative change, excluding certain species and promoting ongoing cruel practice, these codes leave the industry exactly as it was before.

Seafood businesses who want to improve their decapod welfare policies can find free advice and information on members-only website, the Crustacean Industry Welfare Hub: www.ciwhub.org. Crustacean Compassion will be holding a free webinar outlining their response to the industry Codes of Practice, exclusive to CIWH members, at 10am on Wednesday 21 August. To join, fill out the simple membership form and register your attendance via the webinar event page.

¹ Published on 02 August 2024, the ‘Codes of Practice for the Welfare of Crabs, Lobsters, Crawfish and Nephrops’ were developed by Seafish, the Shellfish Association of Great Britain and the Crab and Lobster Management Group.
https://www.seafish.org/responsible-sourcing/animal-sentience-and-welfare/

² Crustacean Compassion – Scale of Impact: Number of Animals; 2020

³ Crustacean Compassion’s own codes of practice for decapod welfare can be found at www.crustaceancompassion.org and on trade-focused sister website Crustacean Industry Welfare Hub www.ciwhub.org

⁴ Crustacean Compassion – The Snapshot: Industry Benchmark on Decapod Crustacean Welfare; 2023 https://www.crustaceancompassion.org/the-snapshot