Decapod crustaceans, such as crabs, lobsters, shrimps, and prawns, are characterized by having ten legs. Each year in the U.K., over 420 million decapods are caught and a further 5 billion are imported — for a retail value of over £670 million. Decapods endure cruel practices during capture, handling, transport, and slaughter.

The U.K. recognized decapods as sentient beings in law with the Animal Welfare (Sentience) Act 2022. This act legally recognizes that decapods feel pain, fear, and pleasure. In response to business risks posed by this recent legislation, along with pressure from consumers and NGOs, the decapod industry is beginning to address their welfare. However, there is limited guidance or a standardized approach to improving welfare. 

This report, developed by the NGO Crustacean Compassion in collaboration with Chronos Sustainability, aims to fill this gap through the “benchmark.” Crustacean Compassion campaigns for legislative protection and humane treatment of decapods.

The “benchmark” was designed to objectively assess the management practices and reporting of leading industry actors on decapod welfare. The benchmark criteria were developed through literature reviews, pilot assessments, industry interviews, and public consultation. The authors then selected 30 leading U.K. decapod producers, processors, and retailers to assess using the benchmark, based on their revenue, proportion of business profits derived from decapods, and perceived innovation within the market. The companies were marked across four pillars: Management Commitment and Policy, Governance and Management, Innovation and Leadership, and Performance Reporting and Impact.

The authors found that half of the companies assessed had developed policies on decapod welfare, but these weren’t integrated into formal governance and implementation measures weren’t always in place. Drivers for addressing welfare included consumer concerns, ethical and sustainability considerations, economics, and product quality.

Even when policies were in place, they were limited to farmed rather than wild-caught decapods. Only two companies out of the 30 assessed had universal policies that apply to all geographies and animals. The policies in place primarily focused on warm water prawns, companies have more influence on their welfare and they are more valuable in the U.K. market compared to cold water decapods. Policies on electrical stunning were most widely adopted, reflecting the direct role companies have at this point in the supply chain and the maturity of the technology. A small number of companies had other welfare policies such as reducing by-catch, avoiding sale of live decapods, and avoiding mutilations (e.g., declawing or eyestalk ablation of farmed prawns). 

Some companies were investing in research and development aimed at improving the welfare of both farmed and wild-caught decapods. For example, one retailer was involved in a research project that showed that eyestalk ablation in prawns — a common practice involving blinding females to speed up reproduction — was counterproductive. They are now influencing the supply chains to end the practice in their supply chains.

Companies are in the early stages of reporting on their performance, and overall reporting levels are still low. Six of the companies publicly report their data on their websites, such as the proportion of decapods not subjected to eyestalk ablation or those who are electrically slaughtered. Companies are also not yet communicating decapod welfare measures to consumers. In fact, only one out of 30 companies appears to promote welfare to consumers. The authors suggest that companies have an important role to play in raising awareness and improving welfare standards.

Given this was the inaugural year for the benchmark, the report prioritizes working with the industry to help companies understand the guidance and implement measures for future years of assessment. Animal advocates can hold companies accountable if they fail to make progress against the baseline established as of 2022 in this report. As the industry evolves, continued pressure and engagement will be crucial to ensure improvements in decapod welfare.