July 14th: National Day of Action Against Tesco

On July 14th Viva! is planning a National Day of Action against Tesco, because of the inhumane practise of chopping up live turtles. In its China stores Tescos are selling live Turtles, which are either decapitated in the store itself or taken home to be chopped up.

Tesco purchased the Hymall chain of 39 supermarkets in China and failed to halt the store’s policy of selling live turtles. If they can coax the turtle into popping its little head out of its shell, they chop it off. The head can live for up to an hour after being decapitated.
The live turtles that people take home may be boiled alive or have their shells sliced off and organs and fat cut out, whilst they remain in constant pain.

According to Tescos they are killed quickly to reduce suffering and sourced in a sustainable way. The truth of the matter is that it’s very difficult to kill turtles in a painless way because of their slow metabolism and ability to live on small amounts of oxygen and most turtles sold are caught in the wild and laundered through turtle farms. I agree with Viva! and the Tortoise Trust when they say: “We find Tesco’s attitude ethically repugnant and morally bankrupt.”

If you want to complain to Tescos see the Viva! website.