More companies reject inhumane slaughter practices as the shellfish industry shifts toward humane stunning and higher decapod welfare standards, says Crustacean Compassion.
The Snapshot 2025: Industry Benchmark on Decapod Crustacean Welfare from Crustacean Compassion, released today, reveals humane stunning and slaughter is the leading concern for retailers and food processors.
While some in the seafood industry has criticised the government’s stance that boiling lobsters and crabs alive is illegal, Crustacean Compassion believes it has found that supermarkets and processors are already turning up the heat by rejecting the inhumane slaughter practice from their supply chains.
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Humane slaughter tops the agenda: More companies tightened up their policies around cruel dispatch methods than any other decapod crustacean welfare issue in 2025.
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Processors set the standard: Seafood suppliers outnumber retailers in the top tier as Sykes Seafood leads the scoring.
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Upward movement leaves welfare laggards behind: Only one supermarket, ASDA, remains in the bottom tier as nearly half of companies improve their annual score.
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Decapod welfare still needs a consumer champion: Despite the good work being done by some companies, none have taken a strong lead on communicating this to the public.
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The Snapshot 2025 report is available on the Crustacean Industry Welfare Hub
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Now in its fourth year, The Snapshot assesses the policies of 30 seafood companies, including all major supermarkets, to explore how the UK food industry is responding to legal and consumer expectations around decapod welfare. The 2025 report, compiled from publicly available information, sheds light on a trend towards higher welfare standards as the gap widens between leaders and those lagging behind.
More companies getting ahead of legislation on humane slaughter
The newly published Animal Welfare Strategy for England confirmed the government will issue new guidelines on current animal slaughter laws and stated that live boiling is not an acceptable way to kill decapods. Despite a concerned response from some parts of the industry, The Snapshot finds that leading retailers and processors are already outpacing legislation.
Nineteen of the 30 companies (63%) now publish policies committing to continue, adopt, expand or trial use of electrical stunning in their supply chain, including most supermarkets.
“Many companies have used electrical stunning for years to achieve humane slaughter for at least some decapod species, rejecting cruel practices such as live, conscious boiling,” said Dr Ben Sturgeon, CEO of Crustacean Compassion. “With legal clarity on its way, there is no excuse to persist with outdated slaughter practices that nobody wants and that violate the law. The Snapshot shows there is both supply and demand to create a more humane industry, putting UK seafood in a strong position to lead globally on decapod welfare.”
Processors outperform retailers in race to the top
Continuing a trend that began in 2024, processors and producers are moving ahead of retailers as a sector, with new top scorer Sykes Seafood and New England Seafood International – Paignton now joining Young’s Seafood and supermarket Marks & Spencer in the top tier. Sykes Seafood is also the most improved company this year, having leapt up two tiers by publishing new or improved policies on capture method, bycatch, mutilations, holding and transport, and humane stunning and slaughter, along with better public reporting.
Twelve other companies increased their score in 2025 and there are now fewer in the bottom tier than ever before, with ASDA the only supermarket to remain there.
“Despite the challenges, this is good news for decapods, businesses and consumers alike, so we would be pleased to see companies share their progress in more ambitious ways,” Dr Sturgeon said. “Consumers want to know that innovative companies can supply ethical, high welfare seafood and will reward those who take their responsibilities to animal welfare seriously.
“To help empower shoppers to make the best choices for them, we’re also releasing The Snapshot Supermarket Guide, which gives a detailed overview of retailers’ welfare policies. We designed The Snapshot to provide companies with a roadmap to higher welfare and with the launch of our Kinder Kitchens campaign, aimed at chefs and restaurants, we’re committed to supporting the food industry in its efforts to build a more compassionate future.”
