The United Kingdom may see itself as a nation of animal lovers, but Switzerland is the surprising international champion of animal rights. Progressive Swiss legislation in recent years has included a ban on keeping goldfish on their own (they are a social species) and the introduction of prosecutions for qualzucht, the crime of torture breeding (when people breed young animals that grow up to suffer pain, disease and discomfort because of inbreeding or poor conformation).

First goldfish, now lobsters

In its latest pro-animal measure, the Swiss government has banned the traditional method of cooking lobsters by dunking them straight into boiling water. Furthermore, they may no longer be transported on ice, or in fresh water: they have to be kept in salty water, as close as possible to their natural environment. From 1st March, lobsters - and other crustaceans - will have to be stunned before cooking, either by electric shock or by mechanical destruction of the brain. The desperate rattling of lobster claws against pan lids will never again be heard in Switzerland.

Dead lobsters don’t rattle but they still scream

By the way, the infamous drawn out “scream” of a cooking lobster will continue, because the truth is that it is not a scream at all. Lobsters don’t have vocal cords, and even if in agony, they cannot vocalise. The high pitched sound made by an overheating lobster is caused by expanding air rushing out of small holes in lobsters’ bodies, like a whistle being blown. A dead lobster will “scream” just as loudly as if it was living.

Switzerland is not the first to ban cooking lobsters alive: New Zealand and Reggio Emilia, an Italian province that adjoins Switzerland, have already banned the practice. Decapod crustaceans, such as lobsters and crabs, are protected under animal welfare legislation in Norway, Switzerland, New Zealand and some Australian states and territories; but not, currently, in the UK.

Do lobsters feel pain when you cook them?

The ban on lobster boiling has come in for some criticism, with some claiming that lobsters don’t have the ability to feel pain, and that it makes no sense to humanise them in this way. So what’s the truth?

It seems that there is not yet a definitive answer to the question, but while lobsters do not possess the same type of brain as mammals, they do have an advanced central nervous system. So while some scientists believe that they cannot have a consciousness of adverse stimuli that fits the definition of “pain”, others say that it’s impossible to be sure of this. There are plenty of signs that they may feel pain.

In 2012, a series of experiments were devised which identified a number of criteria that supported the hypothesis that crustaceans felt pain. These included

• rapid behaviour change (moving away from painful stimuli),

• rubbing affected areas,

• learning avoidance,

• physiological responses (releasing stress hormones in response to pain),

• motivational trade-offs (preferring to do a non-painful activity than something associated with pain)

The conclusion of the researchers was that there is enough strong evidence to suggest that crustaceans experience pain.

If in doubt, don’t boil lobsters

While it is impossible to conclusively prove the existence of any subjective experience in another human or non-human animal, we should surely apply the precautionary principle. If there is a risk of a negative internal experience such as pain, we should give other living creatures the benefit of the doubt: we should choose to treat crustaceans more humanely.

This month, the UK government is debating the issue of animal sentience, including making a judgement on the definition of which lifeforms are defined as “animals” to be protected under welfare legislation.. Decapod crustaceans are not currently included, but there are strong arguments that they ought to be. A group of campaigners, Crustacean Compassion, are lobbying on their behalf, writing to politicians and gathering public support via a petition that has already been signed by nearly 20000 people. In addition, 41 animal welfare organisations supported the proposal in a joint manifesto of animal welfare recommendations post-Brexit, released today, 16th January, by Wildlife Countryside Link and the Association of Lawyers for Animal Welfare.

There are plenty of humane ways to dispatch lobsters: in the twenty first century, there’s no need to continue the medieval torture of death by boiling.