Animal welfare organisation Crustacean Compassion is urging the public to watch its new campaign film about ‘scampi’ and join them in urging the Government to close the loophole in the law to stop more animals suffering unnecessarily.
The footage, filmed on an unidentified UK fishing boat, shows workers pulling the tails off langoustine (nephrops) while they are conscious, with the animals often taking minutes to die after their heads and bodies have been discarded, so the tail can be marketed to consumers as ‘scampi’.
Langoustines, along with other decapod crustaceans have been lawfully recognised as sentient, but because the government hasn’t included them in the existing Animal Welfare Act, millions are still suffering inhumane treatment such as this so-called ‘tailing’ due to the loophole in the law.
Now Crustacean Compassion is calling on the public to show they care about decapod crustacean welfare by signing a petition to urge the government to include them in the Animal Welfare Act.
Crustacean Compassion, Chief Executive Officer. Dr Ben Sturgeon explains: “We know more than 420 million crabs, lobsters, langoustines, prawns, and shrimp are landed by UK vessels into UK ports. As animals capable of feeling pain and fear they routinely ensure unnecessary suffering as part of the sea to plate journey.
“For the 337.87 million .langoustines among them, this suffering often includes their tails being removed from their bodies whilst they are alive and conscious as you can see in the film, these animals do not die instantly, many are slowly dying over the next few minutes.
“Our tailing film shows the urgent need for the government to Close the Loophole and protect crustaceans under the existing Animal Welfare Act. “
Even in instances where the animals are dead prior to being tailed, they are likely to encounter numerous other welfare problems prior to landing.
These welfare concerns are highlighted in the ‘Sea-to-Plate Welfare Report’, a report published last month which provides a detailed review of the “Sea to Plate” journey experienced by decapods, from capture to eventual slaughter.
The report, was authored by Crustacean Compassion and Dr Julia Wrathall* highlighting at each stage the welfare compromises experienced, relevant scientific information, and recommendations to ensure welfare and species-specific needs are met.**
Ben said: “The inclusion of decapod crustaceans in the Animal Welfare (Sentience) Act 2022 was celebrated as a vital step forward for both decapods and animal welfare in the UK and we expected it would lead to the humane treatment these animals deserve but the reality is nothing has changed for them at all.”
Unlike most other live animals in the food sector, decapods currently have little to no legal protection from inhumane practices during capture, handling, transport, storage and slaughter. There is also widespread use of non-therapeutic mutilations – procedures which destroy, remove or damage the limbs or other body parts.
Ben said: “We did not set out to document tailing or anything specific, but rather commissioned a film maker to get some general images and footage of decapod crustaceans to launch our ‘Sea-to-Plate’ welfare report at Parliament.
“Whilst openly filming on a boat he witnessed this disturbing tailing process and brought it to our attention, and we wanted to share it with the public to help them understand some of our welfare concerns around decapod crustaceans.”
To find out more about the campaign and sign the petition to ask the Government to close the loophole to help protect decapod crustaceans please visit
