Lidl and Aldi Süd have agreed to improve prawn welfare standards by banning eyestalk ablation and ice-slurry slaughter for products sold in the UK. The commitments come after the International Council for Animal Welfare (ICAW) campaigned for the German supermarkets to match UK industry standards. Aldi Süd has gone further by pledging to implement electrical stunning or similarly effective methods for all farmed prawns by 2035 and end eyestalk ablation by 2030 across its markets worldwide, including Europe, the US, and Australia — the broadest scope of any retailer commitment to date. The company has also committed to annual public progress reporting. Lidl and Aldi Süd’s commitments mean that all 11 major UK supermarkets have now set a time-bound commitment on improved prawn welfare. What began with Waitrose, M&S, and Tesco has become a new baseline across UK grocery. However, the timelines for full implementation vary significantly, with some retailers targeting 2026 and Aldi ...