Chefs Deny Lobsters Suffer

A day after Whole Foods Market stopped
the sale of live lobsters in its stores, local chefs and wholesalers
brushed off worries that New England’s iconic crustacean would go the
way of fur

The upscale natural foods chain said that lobsters are not treated humanely
enough en route from the boat to the dinner plate. The company said for
now it would only sell frozen lobster products that meet standards for
humane treatment.

“This is about quality of life," said Margaret
Wittenberg, vice president of quality standards for the Austin-based
chain, noting that long before it turned its attention to lobster, Whole
Foods applied the same standards to meat and poultry. “Whether it’s
you, me, a dog, a cat, sheep, cow, or lobster, it’s about giving them
the ability to express their normal behavior, to really support who they
are as a creature. It’s the right thing to do." Whole Foods would
not disclose its revenue from lobster sales.

“They’re taken from the ocean and kept for months.
Then they end up in grocery tanks and stew in their own excrement. Their
claws are banded, not just to protect people but because it’s so stressful
for them that they end up attacking each other. It’s sadistic cruelty," said
Matt Prescott, a spokesman for People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals,
which runs a Lobster Liberation campaign.

The European Food Safety Authority recently concluded that lobsters and
crabs have “a pain system and considerable learning ability," in
a finding that led to Whole Foods’ decision.

from the Boston Globe

The Dowbrigade enjoys a good lobster once in a while,
especially when visiting Mom up in Maine, but we have a hard time empathizing
with their theoretical suffering. Over the years we hve sacrificed innumerable
crustacians to the Sacrificial Pot, and never once have he heard a protest,
a whine, a grunt a cry, a squeal, a scream, a hiss or even a whimper
as they took their Last Dip (or next-to-last, counting the butter).