Prawn (shrimp) farming horror

kingofcrunk
kingofcrunk Posts: 372 Member
in Food and Nutrition
Recently on an episode of 'Food Unwrapped' I learnt something horrific and extremely disturbing about the way in which prawns (or shrimps for the US people) are farmed for food production.

Prawns are farmed mainly in Thailand. Prawn anatomy is such that where there optic nerve connects to their brain is also where reproduction is controlled. So if you rip out one of the eyes of the female prawns they have no control over their egg production and so produce eggs uncontrollably. This obviously leads to increased reproduction which is good for prawn farming.

Therefore many prawn farms simply rip out one of the eyes of the female prawns. The food standards agency recommend this is done with a razor blade but there are no laws and as it is quicker to do by hand that is often what happens. I find this sort of abuse disgusting and upsetting.
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Replies

  • jaz050465
    jaz050465 Posts: 3,508 Member
    That's horrendous. Animal abuse of any kind just so upsets me. Poor things. And we are supposed to be the civilised species!!
  • farway
    farway Posts: 1,264 Member
    Unfortunately a lot of farmed food production involves cruelty, and not just to the farmed creatures, the workers lives& conditions are often very bad when compared to Western standards, but may not be compared to their own country

    Cheap food does come at a price, but not to the consumer

    For this reason I only eat free range poultry & eggs, and British [no sow stalls], ideally free range pork products. I also avoid most lamb, slaughtered mostly using Halal ritual, this includes all New Zealand lamb, I realise not every one is able to afford this but I can & do where possible
  • jaz050465
    jaz050465 Posts: 3,508 Member
    Things like this make me gals I'm vegetarian.
  • emilypink573
    emilypink573 Posts: 133 Member
    This is a reminder of why i eat meat less and less.
  • SueGremlin
    SueGremlin Posts: 1,066 Member
    If it helps, from what we know about neuronal anatomy, it is apparent that shrimp (and other invertebrates) do not have pain receptors so do not appear to feel pain.
  • dsmpunk
    dsmpunk Posts: 262 Member
    Shrimpin' aint easy!
  • AllTehBeers
    AllTehBeers Posts: 5,030 Member
    Shrimpin' aint easy!

    Its hard out here for a shrimp
  • sunsnstatheart
    sunsnstatheart Posts: 2,544 Member
    Shrimpin' aint easy!

    Its hard out here for a shrimp

    When he trying to get his money for the rent
  • Bakkasan
    Bakkasan Posts: 1,027 Member
    Shrimpin' aint easy!

    Its hard out here for a shrimp

    When he trying to get his money for the rent

    Is he keeping his shrimp hand strong?
  • busywaterbending
    busywaterbending Posts: 844 Member
    yum shrimps.

    sea insects are yummy. Especially the crunchy eyeballs. Glad they only remove one.
  • LiftAllThePizzas
    LiftAllThePizzas Posts: 17,857 Member
    Between insecticides and combines, vegetable farming is no picnic for insects either.
  • vjohn04
    vjohn04 Posts: 2,276 Member
    you should be more concerned with the amount of antibiotics pumped into the asian fish / shrimp farms to keep the animals alive until they're turned into food.
  • sjohnny
    sjohnny Posts: 56,142 Member
    Damn prawns
    district9ebaysign.jpg
  • Mokey41
    Mokey41 Posts: 5,769 Member

    For this reason I only eat free range poultry & eggs, and British [no sow stalls], ideally free range pork products. I also avoid most lamb, slaughtered mostly using Halal ritual, this includes all New Zealand lamb, I realise not every one is able to afford this but I can & do where possible

    So as long as your animal leads a fun and happy life before you kill it and eat it then it's ok? Sort of like killing calves for veal is cruel but if you let it grow up to be a cow then it's all good? It amazes me the perceptions people have to justify their ideals! I'm pretty sure the animals aren't thinking that they're having a great life right up until the one really bad day at the end.
  • quirkytizzy
    quirkytizzy Posts: 4,052 Member
    I'm pretty sure the animals aren't thinking that they're having a great life right up until the one really bad day at the end.

    :laugh:
  • AllTehBeers
    AllTehBeers Posts: 5,030 Member

    For this reason I only eat free range poultry & eggs, and British [no sow stalls], ideally free range pork products. I also avoid most lamb, slaughtered mostly using Halal ritual, this includes all New Zealand lamb, I realise not every one is able to afford this but I can & do where possible

    So as long as your animal leads a fun and happy life before you kill it and eat it then it's ok? Sort of like killing calves for veal is cruel but if you let it grow up to be a cow then it's all good? It amazes me the perceptions people have to justify their ideals! I'm pretty sure the animals aren't thinking that they're having a great life right up until the one really bad day at the end.

    While I don't care, mokey is right that your logic is flawed. Love meat, eat meat.
  • AllTehBeers
    AllTehBeers Posts: 5,030 Member
    Shrimpin' aint easy!

    Its hard out here for a shrimp

    When he trying to get his money for the rent

    Is he keeping his shrimp hand strong?

    Yeah, but only if you're a shirmp and not an assistant shrimp
  • farway
    farway Posts: 1,264 Member

    For this reason I only eat free range poultry & eggs, and British [no sow stalls], ideally free range pork products. I also avoid most lamb, slaughtered mostly using Halal ritual, this includes all New Zealand lamb, I realise not every one is able to afford this but I can & do where possible

    So as long as your animal leads a fun and happy life before you kill it and eat it then it's ok? Sort of like killing calves for veal is cruel but if you let it grow up to be a cow then it's all good? It amazes me the perceptions people have to justify their ideals! I'm pretty sure the animals aren't thinking that they're having a great life right up until the one really bad day at the end.

    While I don't care, mokey is right that your logic is flawed. Love meat, eat meat.

    what ever, your choice, I have made mine
  • KenosFeoh
    KenosFeoh Posts: 1,837 Member
    Well that's icky to the max.
  • sunsnstatheart
    sunsnstatheart Posts: 2,544 Member
    I don't eat the eyes anyway. Well, at least most of the time. What's the point again?
  • BeachGingerOnTheRocks
    BeachGingerOnTheRocks Posts: 3,927 Member
    It's a shrimp. A crustacean. A sea creature that has no pain receptors.

    I'm okay with eating them. Even the one-eyed ones. Although I've eaten hundreds of shrimp heads in my life, and pretty sure every one of them had two eyes.
  • MemphisKitten
    MemphisKitten Posts: 878 Member
    What goes on in the United States is more disturbing.
  • FredDoyle
    FredDoyle Posts: 2,273 Member
    In the land of the blind shrimp, the one-eyed shrimp is king. So there's that...
  • sunsnstatheart
    sunsnstatheart Posts: 2,544 Member
    In the land of the blind shrimp, the one-eyed shrimp is king. So there's that...

    Here, a wise one, he is
  • RunDoozer
    RunDoozer Posts: 1,699 Member
    Shrimp are yummy
  • foodhatesme
    foodhatesme Posts: 8
    what can a two eyed prawn see that a one eyed prawn cant?
  • AllTehBeers
    AllTehBeers Posts: 5,030 Member
    I don't eat the eyes anyway. Well, at least most of the time. What's the point again?

    Not sure. Pinch the tails and suck the heads.
  • Webbygail
    Webbygail Posts: 116
    IMG_0515.jpg

    snapshot of one of my fav dishes while in japan....the prawn were bigger than the plate. nomnomnom.

    edited to say my prawn always had both eyes, so alls fair =X
  • robpett2001
    robpett2001 Posts: 320 Member
    "I'm notta shrimp, Imma PRAWN...n'okay?"

    I was going to photoshop a little eye patch on him, but it was too much trouble... :)


    pepe.jpg
  • bionicrooster
    bionicrooster Posts: 353 Member
    This thread is awesome.

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