A ban on the sale of fur and live crabs and lobsters at markets in Amsterdam from 2022 will be delayed to next year because of legal issues, economics affairs chief Victor Everhardt has told councillors.

Amsterdam city council had decided to ban the sale on animal rights grounds, a pledge that was part of the current city coalition agreement.

‘Amsterdam has 34 markets, the most in the country,’ said economic affairs chief Victor Everhardt, a D66 liberal democrat, in a press release at the time. ‘In the interests of animal welfare, there will be a ban on the sale of fur and live crabs and lobsters, and it will be actively enforced.’

However, it now turns out the ban needs a firmer legal base and more solid proof that it is in the public interest, Everardt said in a letter to the council.

That means more research needs to be carried out into the risks involved in the sale of fur, live crabs and lobsters at markets.

He also announced the council would look at alternative measures if it turns out sellers are being hit too hard.  This could include a cluster of market stalls selling the wares in a separate section of the market and regulating sale by issuing exemptions.

Everardt said he hoped the ban would now become a reality in 2023.

Boiled alive

The agriculture ministry is currently working on plans which will put a stop to the practice of boiling crabs and lobsters alive.

In 2018, when Switzerland forbade the live boiling of crabs and lobsters, the pro-animal PvdD tabled a motion calling for a ban in the Netherlands, but it failed to get a majority.