Frequently asked questions
You can find answers to our most frequently asked questions by searching on a keyword or category on the right.
Alternatively, why not ask our virtual assistant Annie.
Concern about cooking of live crabs and lobsters
The Animal Welfare Act 2006 does not apply to lobsters or crabs. The RSPCA is opposed to the use of cruel methods for catching, selling and killing crabs, lobsters, crayfish, octopus or squid for food.
Killing by plunging the living animal into boiling water is considered by the Society to be cruel.
Whichever way these animals are killed for human consumption, it must be done by trained, competent operatives, in order to avoid causing suffering to the animals.
The RSPCA recommendation to the general public is not to buy live lobsters and crabs, but to purchase them pre-killed by one of the humane methods shown in the RSPCA
Protocol for the humane stunning/killing of crustacea. The protocol covers the latest technology using electricity, and also demonstrates the correct way to dispatch both crabs and lobsters mechanically.
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