21 Oct 2025
Animal welfare campaigners have reached boiling point over the mistreatment of crabs and lobsters, calling on the Labour government make 2025 the year Britain bans boiling animals alive. With public concern simmering, advocates say it’s time to end this cruel practice once and for all.
Today activists, celebrities, and campaigners - led by Crustacean Compassion - gathered outside Westminster to turn up the heat on the UK government. Their message to newly appointed Defra Secretary Emma Reynolds was clear: to outlaw the painful and outdated practice of boiling sentient decapod crustaceans like crabs, prawns, and lobsters alive.
“Boiling animals alive is a cruel practice that has no place today” said TV presenter Wendy Turner Webster, ambassador for Crustacean Compassion. “Scientific evidence clearly shows animals like crabs and lobsters can feel pain, yet they remain unprotected under legalisation and the suffering continues, unchecked. We’re urging the government to act swiftly to end this needless cruelty.”
Since the inclusion of decapod crustaceans in Animal Welfare (Sentience) Act 2022, campaigners have waited for stronger legal protections to follow, protection that still hasn’t arrived, despite overwhelming scientific consensus that these animals feel pain. There are no regulations, no legislation and no protection for decapod crustaceans.
Chief Executive Officer of Crustacean Compassion, Dr Ben Sturgeon: “When live, conscious decapod crustaceans are placed into a pot of boiling water, they endure several minutes of excruciating pain before they die. This is torture for crabs and lobsters and is completely avoidable. The science is settled, the public is concerned, and the cruelty is undeniable. The law must follow. The government has done little to protect these animals, but we can change that. Let’s make 2025 the year we ban boiling alive.”
Recent polling* shows public support for protection is strong:
65% of people back a ban on boiling crabs and lobsters alive
75% support humane slaughter methods for decapod crustaceans in restaurants
The public wants compassion to become the standard – and so do chefs. Crustacean Compassion’s new ‘Kinder Kitchens’ campaign is helping culinary professionals move away from cruel practices like boiling alive and adopt humane alternatives such as electrical stunning which renders crustaceans unconscious before they’re killed, preventing them from feeling pain.
Dr Ben Sturgeon continues: "We’re seeing a real appetite for change. Chefs and seafood professionals want to do better, they’re asking for guidance and embracing humane methods like electrical stunning. Kinder Kitchens is about supporting that transition and ensuring the industry is ready to lead with compassion once boiling alive is banned."
As pressure mounts on the government to act, campaigners are urging policymakers to listen to the science, reflect public sentiment, and take decisive action to protect decapod crustaceans from needless suffering. With growing industry support for humane alternatives and overwhelming public backing, the message is clear: boiling animals alive belongs in the past and 2025 must be the year Britain leads with compassion and bans this cruel practice for good.
*All figures are from YouGov Plc. Total sample size was 2,223 adults. Fieldwork was undertaken between 24th - 25th February 2025. The survey was carried out online. The figures have been weighted and are representative of all GB adults (aged 18+).