Waitrose to stun farmed prawns for more humane deaths

Waitrose has committed to eliminating suffocation practices for farmed prawns by introducing electrical stunning across its entire supply chain by the end of 2025.

This move follows growing concerns from animal rights campaigners over the welfare of prawns, including the controversial practice of eyestalk ablation, which the upmarket retailer has already phased out.

The decision comes amid increasing recognition of the sentience of prawns, with the UK government acknowledging their capacity to experience pain.

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A Waitrose spokesperson told the Times: “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 trialling electrical prawn stunning.”

The initiative applies to all farmed shrimp and prawns sold by the supermarket.

Waitrose joins other major UK retailers, such as Tesco, Sainsbury’s, M&S, and Ocado, who have all committed to humane prawn slaughter practices.

Campaign groups, including the International Council for Animal Welfare (ICAW), have urged other supermarkets to follow suit, with calls for retailers like Asda, Morrisons, and Aldi to adopt similar standards.

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