Study urges UK to ban boiling lobsters alive citing pain evidence

Scientists have discovered that Norway lobsters, the main ingredient in scampi, can experience pain in a way similar to humans and other mammals. According to the study authors, the traditional method of boiling lobsters alive causes extreme pain and should be immediately banned under UK law. This suggests that crustaceans really are feeling pain when they get hurt, rather than simply following mechanical reflexes.

Researchers found that common painkillers, lidocaine and aspirin, reduce lobsters' reactions to harmful electric shocks. When lobsters received electrical shocks that would be painful for a human, they attempted to escape by rapidly flipping their tails. When lobsters were injected with aspirin or had lidocaine dissolved into the water, this tail flipping behaviour all but vanished. This suggests that lobsters have systems for feeling pain that are clo.

UK law already regards crustaceans as sentient animals. Boiling lobsters alive is already illegal in Norway, New Zealand, Austria, and several Australian states. According to Daily Mail - Science & Tech, Lynne Sneddon described that based on scientific evidence, it is not humane to boil crustaceans alive and so she supports the concept of banning live boiling. According to Göteborgs-Posten, Göteborgsforskaren described that we would not boil a chicken or cow alive.

Scientists have been divided over whether lobsters' damage-avoiding behaviour proves they feel pain or simply displays nociception. The study's methodology and conclusions face debate within the broader scientific community, and it remains unclear what specific legislative steps are being proposed to implement a ban in the UK. Alternative humane methods for killing lobsters have not been detailed by the researchers, and the estimated timeline or likelihood of the UK government adopting such a ban is unknown based on current political and industry pressures.