Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if she will make an assessment of the potential merits of amending the Animals (Scientific Procedures) Act 1986 to include decapod crustaceans.

The Government is committed to an evidence-based and proportionate approach to setting welfare standards for decapod. This applies both to those caught for human consumption and to those used in scientific research. The Animal Welfare (Sentience) Act 2022 recognises decapod crustaceans as sentient beings.

The Home Office is carefully considering the next steps in collaboration with other relevant departments.

The Government is committed to non-animal alternatives in science and will publish a strategy to support their development, validation and adoption later this year.