Will Local Crab Festival Go Vegan?  

Will Local Crab Festival Go Vegan?  

Salcombe – Ahead of the Salcombe Crab Festival – and because the government recently recognised crustaceans as sentient beings – PETA sent a letter and a special delivery of Good Catch New England Seasoned Crab-Free Cakes to the event organisers to urge them to make next year’s event an all-vegan, animal-friendly affair.

PETA notes that crabs have well-formed senses of sight, smell, and taste – and that the fishing industry kills trillions of animals every year, including millions of “non-target” species such as dolphins, turtles, seals, sharks, and seabirds who become entangled in fishing gear. In exchange for the festival keeping animals off the menu, PETA is offering to sponsor the event, host vegan cookery demonstrations, and provide free samples of vegan seafood.

“Crabs are capable and incredible animals. Just like us, they feel pain, have distinct personalities, and want to live,” writes PETA Corporate Projects Manager Dr Carys Bennett. “For the sake of our oceans and everyone who lives there, we hope you can see food differently. Let’s celebrate wildlife by leaving crabs and other marine animals in their ocean homes. Why not swap cruel traditions for animal-friendly celebrations?”

Following research findings from the London School of Economics and Political Science, the Animal Welfare (Sentience) Bill recognised crabs, lobsters, and octopuses as sentient beings, and PETA hopes this acknowledgment will influence future government policy in favour of protecting these wonderful animals.

PETA – whose motto reads, in part, that “animals are not ours to eat” – opposes speciesism, a human-supremacist worldview. The letter to the Rotary Club of Salcombe is available here. For more information, please visit PETA.org.uk or follow the group on Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram.

Contact:

Jennifer White +44 (0) 20 7837 6327; [email protected]

#