UK retailer Waitrose will stop selling prawns subjected to cruel practices, such as suffocation in ice slurry and eyestalk ablation, by the end of next year. It will use electrical stunning for all its farmed prawns. While animal rights and welfare organizations have welcomed the move, they are calling for expanding the method’s use for all animals.

Eyestalk removal in crustaceans promotes ovary maturation for commercial breeding, but studies show similar egg production can be achieved without ablation.

Waitrose has already phased out eyestalk ablation in its supply chain after finding that the method is “unnecessary and counterproductive.” It says electrical stunning is the “most humane method of slaughter,” in its Crustacean Welfare Policy.

“Animal welfare is a top priority for Waitrose, and since 2023, we’ve been working with our suppliers to push our industry-leading standards even higher by trialing electrical prawn stunning,” a spokesperson for Waitrose tells Food Ingredients First.

“We’ve committed to rolling this out to our entire supply chain by the end of next year, and this applies to all our farmed shrimp and prawns.”

Prawn sentience

The UK, which imports shrimp and prawns worth about £570 million (US$719.2 million) annually, officially recognized prawns as sentient beings in 2021 based on a report by the London School of Economics. Lindsay Duncan, World Animal Protection, UK Farming Campaign Manager, calls the continued slaughtering of shellfish in the country without stunning “shocking.”

“Prawns are living, sentient beings capable of feeling pain and fear. By law, stunning is required for land animals to reduce pain and suffering. We urge the government to extend this same law to all animals, including shellfish.”

Douglas Waley, senior aquatic animals project officer, Eurogroup for Animals, says Waitrose’s decision reflects progress in electric stunning for prawns in labs and commercial farms.

“Many aquatic species are still left unprotected, with cruel practices, such as ice-baths, still widespread. It is, therefore, great to see brands such as Waitrose taking steps to stand for animal welfare, also in line with the asks of EU consumers.”

Chrys Liptrot, chief executive of the International Council for Animal Welfare (ICAW), agrees that the decision is a “promising step toward implementing basic welfare standards for prawns.”

“Female prawns for breeding have routinely cut off one eyestalk to increase reproduction. We are calling on retailers to stop both the suffocation of prawns and the eyestalk ablation with a short timeline.”

“Humane slaughter should be the norm”

For the Shrimp Welfare Project, which collaborates with industry stakeholders to make humane practices practical and accessible, Waitrose’s decision is “a big step forward for shrimp welfare,” Dr. Krzysztof Wojtas, chief programmes officer, tells Food Ingredients First.

“Waitrose’s move sends a clear message: humane slaughter should be the norm. The good news is, transitioning is simple. We work directly with producers to provide stunners and training at minimal or no cost, making better welfare accessible to all.”

“We’ve already helped multiple retailers and their producers make the shift to humane slaughter. The technology is in place, and we’re ready to support more supermarkets in making this the industry standard.”

Meanwhile, ICAW urges all other UK retailers and major retailers across Europe to adopt humane slaughtering methods.

“So far Tesco, Sainsbury’s, Marks & Spencer, Ocado and now Waitrose have committed to eliminating eyestalk ablation and implementing electric stunning for all prawn in their supply chain,” Liptrot tells us.

“However, Co-op, Asda, Aldi, Morrisons, Lidl and Iceland have stayed silent. We are suspecting that they continue to support these outdated practices and are calling on them to follow suit.”

Improving welfare standards

Waley says that besides implementing electrical stunning and banning eyestalk ablation, retailers should expect their suppliers to have standards in place to “manage the water quality and stocking densities, and retailers should be supporting research into prawns’ environmental needs.”

“Understanding and meeting the needs of prawns should be central to reducing mortalities and reducing the use of antibiotics. Such steps should also be applied to other aquatic species,” he concludes.