Shrimp are the world’s most farmed animals, and each year billions of them suffer two horrific practices: cutting their eyestalks and stunning them in ice slurry. That’s why Mercy For Animals is calling on ASDA—the UK’s third-largest retailer—to alleviate suffering for billions of shrimp worldwide by joining Tesco, Sainsbury’s, and M&S in committing to less cruel standards for their shrimp supply chains.
Eyestalk Cutting
The industry claims that cutting a female shrimp’s eyestalks makes her mature faster and release more eggs. Despite research showing that this negatively impacts their growth, lowers egg quality, and even raises mortality rates, this cruel practice is standard for hundreds of millions of mother shrimp in the global shrimp-farming industry. It can also cause stress and weight loss and may even make the shrimp’s offspring more vulnerable to diseases. These are some of the horrific, painful methods:
- Pinching and squeezing the eyestalks
- Using heated forceps to burn off the eyestalks
- Tying a thread or wire around the eyestalks to limit blood supply until the stalks fall off
Ice-Slurry Stunning
Ice-slurry stunning is used to immobilize shrimp through a temperature jolt. This method causes distress and unnecessary anguish, as many animals suffer over a long period of time while being crushed under ice and other shrimp, only to finally die from suffocation.
Take Action
This summer, Mercy For Animals launched the world’s first shrimp-welfare campaign, demanding that Tesco ban eyestalk cutting and ice-slurry stunning from their supply chain. And thanks to our supporters around the globe, the campaign was a success! In August, Tesco pledged to ban these two cruel shrimp-farming practices.
Tesco’s new shrimp-welfare commitment is not just a milestone for animal protection but proof of the powerful impact we can have when we come together and speak out against cruelty. So please join us in convincing another company to do the right thing—sign the petition urging ASDA’s decision-makers to end the worst suffering for billions of shrimp worldwide by sourcing shrimp only from suppliers who do not cut their eyestalks or stun them in ice slurry.
And remember! You can always make a difference for animals simply by leaving them off your plate. Download our FREE How to Eat Veg guide to get started.
Cover Photo Credit: Seb Alex / We Animals Media
