At long last we say…
Boiling lobsters alive will be banned under plans being drawn up by ministers to strengthen the welfare rights of crustaceans and molluscs.
The government is preparing to recognise that lobsters, crabs, octopuses, squids and other invertebrates feel pain as part of legislation that will formally acknowledge that animals are sentient beings.
At present the Animal Welfare (Sentience) Bill, which is making its way through the House of Lords, covers only vertebrates — animals that have a backbone.
In response to calls from campaigners, ministers are preparing to back an amendment by peers to extend the legislation to shellfish and cephalopod molluscs.
The Times understands this would lead to a ban on boiling lobsters alive after government officials discussed alternative ways of killing them with
