The UK government has announced a landmark ban on boiling lobsters and crabs alive as part of a comprehensive new package of animal welfare reforms for England. The move follows scientific recognition that these creatures are sentient beings capable of feeling pain.
Sentience Recognised, Practices Banned
Published on Monday 23 December 2025, the government's strategy explicitly states that "live boiling is not an acceptable killing method" for decapod crustaceans like lobsters and crabs. This decision builds on earlier legislation which formally acknowledged that decapods and cephalopod molluscs, such as octopus and squid, are sentient beings capable of experiencing pain and suffering.
While noting the fishing industry is already making improvements, the government emphasised the need for greater transparency in supply chains to ensure welfare standards are met and to enable further action if necessary.
A Broad Strategy for Pets, Farm and Wild Animals
The new animal welfare strategy extends far beyond seafood, introducing a series of wide-ranging protections.
For pets, the plans include:
- A consultation on banning shock collars over welfare concerns.
- A crackdown on low-welfare, high-volume dog breeding, commonly known as puppy farming.
- A public safety campaign promoting responsible dog ownership, amid ongoing concerns about XL bully-type breeds.
For farmed animals, the government intends to move away from colony cages for laying hens and pig farrowing crates, and to introduce more humane slaughter methods for farmed fish.
For wild animals, ministers plan to:
- Ban trail hunting, fearing it is used as a cover for illegal fox hunting.
- Prohibit the use of snare traps.
- Introduce a closed hunting season for hares.
"A Nation of Animal Lovers"
Environment Secretary Emma Reynolds declared the UK a "nation of animal lovers" and claimed the government is "delivering the most ambitious animal welfare strategy in a generation."
"Our strategy will raise welfare standards for animals in the home, on the farm and in the wild," she said, citing recent actions on zoo standards and puppy smuggling. She added that visiting Battersea Dogs and Cats Home had reinforced the importance of the plans for millions of pet owners.
Downing Street firmly rejected suggestions that the reforms represented a "war on the countryside." The Prime Minister's spokesman stated the government shared the public's high regard for the countryside, evidenced through farming and this welfare strategy. The spokesman also dismissed criticism from Reform UK leader Nigel Farage, who had labelled the government "authoritarian control freaks" over the trail hunting ban.
