"Octopus and Jangsae, Boiling Alive Banned" Europe's Animal Welfare in the Spotlight [Hello? Animal]

"Octopuses Also Deserve Protection" UK Pushes to Expand Animal Welfare Law
Switzerland Already Bans Cooking Crustaceans Alive
Experts Say "All Animals Feel Pain and Suffer"
"Not Only Friendly Dogs and Cats Should Be Protected"

Written language./Photo by Wikipedia

[Asia Economy Reporter Kang Juhee] "Octopuses and lobsters also feel pain and suffer."

Recently, the UK government has attracted attention by including octopuses, crabs, and lobsters under animal welfare laws. This does not mean banning the consumption of these animals. Rather, it emphasizes that invertebrates are also "beings that feel pain" and should be cooked humanely.

Based on a report published by a research team from the London School of Economics and Political Science, the UK government announced plans to include cephalopods, such as squid and octopuses, and decapods, such as crabs and lobsters, under animal welfare laws. This expands the scope of existing animal laws, which primarily focused on vertebrates with backbones.

According to CNN and other media, the London School of Economics research team reviewed over 300 scientific studies to assess the cognitive abilities of cephalopods and decapods. As a result, they concluded that decapods and cephalopods possess complex central nervous systems, unlike other invertebrates, which is one of the key characteristics of sentient beings.

Once this law is enforced, it is expected that in the UK, practices such as boiling octopuses and lobsters alive or transporting them alive will be prohibited. Additionally, when cooking, methods to kill them painlessly, such as stunning with electric shocks or freezing, must be sought.

Lobster. Photo by Yonhap News

Similar laws are already in effect in Switzerland, Norway, New Zealand, and Australia. Switzerland was the first country in the world to ban cooking crustaceans alive in 2018 and also prohibited transporting lobsters on ice. Violations are subject to criminal penalties. In Norway, salmon must be anesthetized with carbon dioxide before being stunned with electric shocks prior to slaughter.

In 2017, the Italian Supreme Court fined a restaurant in Florence approximately 5,000 euros (about 6.7 million KRW) for tying lobsters' claws with string and placing them on ice. While humans inevitably eat animals to survive, these animals are sentient beings and should not be subjected to unnecessary suffering.

Currently, South Korea's Animal Protection Act applies only to vertebrates such as mammals, birds, reptiles, amphibians, and fish. Invertebrates like cephalopods and crustaceans are not covered by the law due to the perception that they lack emotions and the ability to feel sensations.

Even among fish, the application of the law varies depending on whether they are for consumption. For example, the Gangwon Hwacheon Sancheoneo Festival, which was accused of "animal cruelty" by animal rights groups, was not recognized as such by prosecutors because "the Sancheoneo used in the festival were originally farmed for consumption."

Some critics argue that even animal protection laws created for animal rights are anthropocentric. Just as "dogs for consumption" and "companion dogs" are distinguished, some animals are treated as tools rather than living beings. There is a growing call for efforts to reduce unnecessary suffering inflicted on animals.

Lee Wonbok, head of the Korea Animal Protection Alliance, stated, "There is a tendency to prefer and consider only familiar animals like dogs and cats as worthy of protection. This is called speciesism." He added, "Scientific research has shown that octopuses and lobsters also feel pain and suffer. Therefore, methods that cause unnecessary suffering to these animals should be avoided."

He continued, "The way we treat animals is also connected to the awareness that we must be cautious about attacks on socially vulnerable groups. Treating certain beings as objects or food, or continuing such acts despite knowing they feel pain, constitutes abuse," he emphasized, "this is not about opposing the consumption of animals, but about choosing humane and ethical methods in the process."