From 1 March, “the practice of plunging live lobsters into boiling water, which is common in restaurants, is no longer permitted”, the Swiss government has said.

Under reforms to animal protection law, officials in Bern said that lobsters “will now have to be stunned before they are put to death”.

Swiss broadcaster RTS reported that only electric shocks or the “mechanical destruction” of the lobster’s brain will be acceptable methods of stunning.