The government has announced a ban on boiling lobsters alive in England as part of a broader animal welfare strategy. Ministers stated that 'live boiling is not an acceptable killing method' for crustaceans and will publish alternative guidance. The practice is already illegal in Switzerland, Norway, and New Zealand.
Animal welfare charities have welcomed the move, advocating for humane alternatives such as electrical stunning or chilling before boiling. Ben Sturgeon of Crustacean Compassion called live boiling 'torture' and 'completely avoidable'. The ban builds on a 2022 law recognising crustaceans and octopuses as sentient beings.
The Labour strategy also includes outlawing hen cages and pig farrowing crates, ending puppy farming, consulting on banning electric shock collars for dogs, and introducing humane slaughter requirements for farmed fish. Hunting rules will be tightened, with a ban on shooting hares during breeding season and an end to trail hunting, which charities say is used as a 'smokescreen' for fox hunting.
Reform UK leader Nigel Farage criticised the measures as 'authoritarian control freakery', but polling indicates strong public support for tougher hunting rules. A Labour source dismissed Farage's stance, saying he is 'on the wrong side of issues' and that Labour is focused on delivering a fairer future.
