A Compelling Case For Crustacean Compassion
An Animal Rights Article from All-Creatures.org

FROM

Celine Icard-Stoll, Faunalytics
October 2018

In the United Kingdom, advocates are seeking legally-mandated humane treatment for crustaceans used for food.

Photo by Rod Long on Unsplash

Crustaceans receive no protections from the Animal Welfare Act 2006 and there are no legal obligations to consider their welfare during storage, handling, and slaughter. Interestingly, there is a provision within the Act that says the definition of animal may be extended “so as to include invertebrates of any description … if the authorities are satisfied, on the basis of scientific evidence, that animals of the kind concerned are capable of experiencing pain and suffering.”

This is the section that an animal advocacy group called Crustacean Compassion is banking on in order to secure more rights for crustaceans in the U.K. In a recent report, the group offers compelling reasons as to why we need legislative reform that includes crustaceans in the Animal Welfare Act 2006. The Animal Welfare Act 2006 provision that the organization is working with specifically points out scientific evidence as being a reason for the inclusion of invertebrates under the definition of animal.

There is indeed strong evidence suggesting that crustaceans feel pain thanks to research wherein their behaviors were observed after experiencing pain.

For the complete article, visit A Compelling Case For Crustacean Compassion on Faunalytics.

---

Celine is a San Francisco-born Oregonian now living in Atlanta. Her most dedicated animal advocacy passions are in veganism, cruelty-free cosmetics, and companion animals. She also loves cooking, gaming, and her cats Nori and Tofu.

---

Return to Animal Rights Articles