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Written question asked by Rupa Huq (Labour) on Tuesday, 11 May 2021, in the House of Commons. It was due for an answer on Monday, 17 May 2021 (named day). It was answered by Baroness Prentis of Banbury (Conservative) on Monday, 17 May 2021 on behalf of the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs.

Shellfish: Animal Welfare

Question

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment he has made of the potential merits of including decapod crustaceans in the forthcoming Animal Sentience Bill.

Answer

There is clear evidence that animals with a backbone (vertebrates) are sentient and this is reflected in the Government’s Animal Welfare (Sentience) Bill introduced to the House of Lords on 13 May 2021. However, the Bill also gives the Secretary of State a power to extend the recognition of sentience to particular invertebrates in future on the basis of evidence.

Defra has commissioned an independent review of the available scientific evidence on sentience in decapod crustaceans such as crabs and lobsters, as well as sentience in the class, Cephalopoda, which includes octopus, cuttlefish and squid. The review will report shortly.

Secondary information

Type
Written question
Reference
378
Session
2021-22
Subjects
Animal welfare Shellfish
Link
View this Written question on www.parliament.uk