https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/...=.1aa9d26ba6c0


"Another country has banned boiling live lobsters. Some scientists wonder why.

By Lindsey Bever January 13

Poached, grilled, or baked with brie.

Served on a roll, or in mac "n cheese.

Lobsters may be one of the most popular crustaceans in the culinary arts. But when it comes to killing them, theres a long and unresolved debate about how to do it humanely, and whether that extra consideration is even necessary.

The Swiss Federal Council issued an order this week banning cooks in Switzerland from placing live lobsters into pots of boiling water €” joining a few other jurisdictions that have protections for the decapod crustaceans. Switzerlands new measure stipulates that beginning March 1, lobsters must be knocked out €” either by electric shock or €œmechanical destruction€� of the brain €” before boiling them, according to Swiss public broadcaster RTS.

The announcement reignited a long-running debate: Can lobsters even feel pain?

€œThey can sense their environment,€� said Bob Bayer, executive director of the University of Maines Lobster Institute, €œbut they probably dont have the ability to process pain.€�

Boiling lobsters alive is already illegal in some places, including New Zealand and Reggio Emilia, a city in northern Italy, according to the animal rights group Viva.

A Swiss government spokeswoman said the law there was driven by the animal rights argument.

€œThere are more animal friendly methods than boiling alive, that can be applied when killing a lobster,€� Eva van Beek of the Federal Office of Food Safety and Veterinary Affairs said in an email.

Van Beek told The Washington Post that there had been a motion to ban all lobster imports to the country, but the federal government €œthought this measure was not applicable due to international trading laws.€� Officials, she said, €œalso thought we could improve the animal protection aspect.€�

So the legislation was amended.

And anyway, van Beek added: €œSwitzerlands consumption of lobster [is] negligible. We are a landlocked country, lobster is thus regarded as a rather exotic delicacy, which is served only in special restaurants..€�

Jeff Bennett of the Maine International Trade Center said the United States live lobster exports to the European Union in 2016 totaled $147 million. But the United States exported only $368,000 worth of live lobsters to Switzerland that year, he said.

Switzerlands new order also states that lobsters, and other decapod crustaceans, can no longer be transported on ice or in ice water, but must be kept in the habitat theyre used to €” sal****er, according to RTS.


The issue of lobsters in kitchens is controversial.

Do live lobsters really scream when theyre plopped into boiling water, or is that merely the sound of air escaping from their bodies?

Do they squirm because theyre in pain, or simply because they can sense heat?

Bayer, a scientist at the Lobster Institute, said these questions have been debated for decades €” and the answers lie somewhere in science.

Although the most common opinion held by researchers is that lobsters (and their hard-shell relatives) cannot process pain, there is in fact a subgroup of scientists who vehemently disagree.

A 2013 study in the Journal of Experimental Biology found that crabs avoided electric shocks, suggesting they can, in fact, feel pain. Bob Elwood, one of the studys authors and a professor at Queens University Belfast, told BBC News at the time: €œI dont know what goes on in a crabs mind. .€‰.€‰. But what I can say is the whole behavior goes beyond a straightforward reflex response and it fits all the criteria of pain.€�

However, marine biologist Jeff Shields, a professor at the Virginia Institute of Marine Science, said its unclear whether the reaction to negative stimuli is a pain response or simply an avoidance response. €œThats the problem,€� he said, €œtheres no way to tell.€�

But because lobsters do not have the neural pathways that mammals have and use in pain response, Shields said he does not believe lobsters feel pain.

According to an explainer from the Lobster Institute, a research and educational organization, lobsters have a primitive nervous system, akin to an insect, such as a grasshopper. €œNeither insects nor lobsters have brains,€� according to the institute. €œFor an organism to perceive pain it must have a complex nervous system. Neurophysiologists tell us that lobsters, like insects, do not process pain.€�

Bayer, the institutes director, said boiling them is likely to be more traumatic for the cook than the crustacean; for the squeamish, he recommends simply placing lobsters in the freezer first to numb them, or putting them in a sink filled with tap water, which also kills them.

But biological anthropologist Barbara King, a retired professor at the College of William & Mary, said there is a long history of underestimating animal pain.

€œIm not a biologist, but I think the preponderance of evidence suggests they can feel pain; I am convinced they can feel pain,€� said King, author of €œPersonalities on the Plate: The Lives and Minds of Animals We Eat.€�

She added: €œWhether we know or dont know, its our ethical responsibility to give them the benefit of the doubt and not put them into boiling water.€�

King said there are debates about whether people should eat lobsters at all, €œso in my view, its a pretty low bar to make sure that if we do eat them, we dont torture them first.€�

People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA), which has done exposés on how crabs and lobsters are killed, applauded Switzerlands new ban on boiling live lobsters, noting in a statement that €œwhen plunged into scalding-hot water, [crustaceans] writhed wildly and scraped at the sides of the pot in a desperate attempt to escape. So to anyone in a civilized society who isnt Bear Grylls, this legislation makes sense.€�

But, the animal rights organization added, while €œthis law may put an end to one of the cruellest ways of killing these fascinating beings, the best way to help them is simply to leave them off our plates by choosing instead from the multitude of delicious vegan foods readily available to us all.€�

Tanja Florenthal, academic director of the prestigious César Ritz Colleges, which has campuses across Switzerland, said she is pleased about the new Swiss ban. Instructors at the Culinary Arts Academy Switzerland have already implemented the changes in their lessons, she said.

€œUnfortunately, weve been teaching them to do it with boiling water; but thats changing now,€� she told The Washington Post this week. €œWe are going to take this opportunity to have a discussion with the students to see if there are other ways to do the killings in a more ethical and respectful manner, not only for lobsters.€�

She added: €œI think we have a responsibility to make sure our animals are treated right.€�

"Steve La Wertz" wrote in message
...


https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/...=.1aa9d26ba6c0


"Another country has banned boiling live lobsters. Some scientists wonder
why.

By Lindsey Bever January 13

Poached, grilled, or baked with brie.

Served on a roll, or in mac "n cheese.

Lobsters may be one of the most popular crustaceans in the culinary arts.
But when it comes to killing them, theres a long and unresolved debate
about how to do it humanely, and whether that extra consideration is even
necessary.

The Swiss Federal Council issued an order this week banning cooks in
Switzerland from placing live lobsters into pots of boiling water €” joining
a few other jurisdictions that have protections for the decapod crustaceans.
Switzerlands new measure stipulates that beginning March 1, lobsters must
be knocked out €” either by electric shock or €œmechanical destruction€� of the
brain €” before boiling them, according to Swiss public broadcaster RTS.

The announcement reignited a long-running debate: Can lobsters even feel
pain?

€œThey can sense their environment,€� said Bob Bayer, executive director of
the University of Maines Lobster Institute, €œbut they probably dont have
the ability to process pain.€�

Boiling lobsters alive is already illegal in some places, including New
Zealand and Reggio Emilia, a city in northern Italy, according to the animal
rights group Viva.

A Swiss government spokeswoman said the law there was driven by the animal
rights argument.

€œThere are more animal friendly methods than boiling alive, that can be
applied when killing a lobster,€� Eva van Beek of the Federal Office of Food
Safety and Veterinary Affairs said in an email.

Van Beek told The Washington Post that there had been a motion to ban all
lobster imports to the country, but the federal government €œthought this
measure was not applicable due to international trading laws.€� Officials,
she said, €œalso thought we could improve the animal protection aspect.€�

So the legislation was amended.

And anyway, van Beek added: €œSwitzerlands consumption of lobster [is]
negligible. We are a landlocked country, lobster is thus regarded as a
rather exotic delicacy, which is served only in special restaurants.€�

Jeff Bennett of the Maine International Trade Center said the United States
live lobster exports to the European Union in 2016 totaled $147 million. But
the United States exported only $368,000 worth of live lobsters to
Switzerland that year, he said.

Switzerlands new order also states that lobsters, and other decapod
crustaceans, can no longer be transported on ice or in ice water, but must
be kept in the habitat theyre used to €” sal****er, according to RTS.


The issue of lobsters in kitchens is controversial.

Do live lobsters really scream when theyre plopped into boiling water, or
is that merely the sound of air escaping from their bodies?

Do they squirm because theyre in pain, or simply because they can sense
heat?

Bayer, a scientist at the Lobster Institute, said these questions have been
debated for decades €” and the answers lie somewhere in science.

Although the most common opinion held by researchers is that lobsters (and
their hard-shell relatives) cannot process pain, there is in fact a subgroup
of scientists who vehemently disagree.

A 2013 study in the Journal of Experimental Biology found that crabs avoided
electric shocks, suggesting they can, in fact, feel pain. Bob Elwood, one of
the studys authors and a professor at Queens University Belfast, told BBC
News at the time: €œI dont know what goes on in a crabs mind. . . . But
what I can say is the whole behavior goes beyond a straightforward reflex
response and it fits all the criteria of pain.€�

However, marine biologist Jeff Shields, a professor at the Virginia
Institute of Marine Science, said its unclear whether the reaction to
negative stimuli is a pain response or simply an avoidance response. €œThats
the problem,€� he said, €œtheres no way to tell.€�

But because lobsters do not have the neural pathways that mammals have and
use in pain response, Shields said he does not believe lobsters feel pain.

According to an explainer from the Lobster Institute, a research and
educational organization, lobsters have a primitive nervous system, akin to
an insect, such as a grasshopper. €œNeither insects nor lobsters have
brains,€� according to the institute. €œFor an organism to perceive pain it
must have a complex nervous system. Neurophysiologists tell us that
lobsters, like insects, do not process pain.€�

Bayer, the institutes director, said boiling them is likely to be more
traumatic for the cook than the crustacean; for the squeamish, he recommends
simply placing lobsters in the freezer first to numb them, or putting them
in a sink filled with tap water, which also kills them.

But biological anthropologist Barbara King, a retired professor at the
College of William & Mary, said there is a long history of underestimating
animal pain.

€œIm not a biologist, but I think the preponderance of evidence suggests
they can feel pain; I am convinced they can feel pain,€� said King, author of
€œPersonalities on the Plate: The Lives and Minds of Animals We Eat.€�

She added: €œWhether we know or dont know, its our ethical responsibility
to give them the benefit of the doubt and not put them into boiling water.€�

King said there are debates about whether people should eat lobsters at all,
€œso in my view, its a pretty low bar to make sure that if we do eat them,
we dont torture them first.€�

People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA), which has done exposés
on how crabs and lobsters are killed, applauded Switzerlands new ban on
boiling live lobsters, noting in a statement that €œwhen plunged into
scalding-hot water, [crustaceans] writhed wildly and scraped at the sides of
the pot in a desperate attempt to escape. So to anyone in a civilized
society who isnt Bear Grylls, this legislation makes sense.€�

But, the animal rights organization added, while €œthis law may put an end to
one of the cruellest ways of killing these fascinating beings, the best way
to help them is simply to leave them off our plates by choosing instead from
the multitude of delicious vegan foods readily available to us all.€�

Tanja Florenthal, academic director of the prestigious César Ritz Colleges,
which has campuses across Switzerland, said she is pleased about the new
Swiss ban. Instructors at the Culinary Arts Academy Switzerland have already
implemented the changes in their lessons, she said.

€œUnfortunately, weve been teaching them to do it with boiling water; but
thats changing now,€� she told The Washington Post this week. €œWe are going
to take this opportunity to have a discussion with the students to see if
there are other ways to do the killings in a more ethical and respectful
manner, not only for lobsters.€�

She added: €œI think we have a responsibility to make sure our animals are
treated right.€�

==

What about halal?

On 1/15/2018 6:43 AM, Ophelia wrote:

*157 lines trimmed for a three word response*

> What about halal?
>
>

STFU!