Ms Hopkins, who recently visited the island for a sold-out show at the Gaiety Theatre, shared her views on social media after the owner of the Isle of Man Farm Shop Company announced that a live lobster tank at its Glen Helen store would likely be removed following public criticism.
The issue began after Mr Edmonds and his wife Liz bought two live lobsters from the Farm Shop at the Swiss Chalet and released them into Peel Harbour.
The former Deal or No Deal presenter later shared footage of the release online, explaining that the couple had felt ‘a little bit uncomfortable’ seeing the animals in a tank.
The video sparked debate across social media, with some questioning the welfare implications of releasing lobsters that had been kept in a controlled environment back into the sea.
Matt Harrison, managing director of the Isle of Man Farm Shop Company, said the decision to remove the tank, which he is ‘still mulling over’, has been made following feedback from customers, despite his belief that the lobsters had been well cared for.
‘Noel and Liz have been very careful to keep us out of their quotes and things like that,’ he said.
‘They came here and they saw our lobsters that we have for sale live in the tank, and they bought a couple and they released them.
‘That’s absolutely fine. They’re not the first. They won’t be the last.’
Mr Harrison said there had been ‘a lot of misinformation’ surrounding the issue and explained that the lobsters were caught in Manx waters near Peel by a young local shellfish fisherman.
He said the business had wanted to support the small local supplier and that the tank was charcoal-filtered, maintained weekly and kept at sea-like salinity levels, with the water temperature maintained between 7.1C and 7.4C.
He also said lobsters were delivered every one to two weeks and were rotated through the tank, meaning they were not normally kept there for longer than a fortnight.
Following the announcement, Ms Hopkins posted a lengthy video online criticising Mr Edmonds’ actions and questioning the impact the controversy had had on the local business.
She said: ‘My question to vegans everywhere, and I acknowledge Noel, you’ve got great hair. You’re super tanned. Well done you. You’re an outdoorsy kind of guy. You like the environment. That’s marvellous.
‘But why do you go into a farm shop that sells live lobsters if you don’t like seeing live lobsters?’
Ms Hopkins also questioned why Mr Edmonds had chosen to release only two lobsters and challenged whether the animals would necessarily benefit from being returned to the sea.
She claimed the decision had affected a small business supplying the lobsters, saying: ‘The small business that was providing lobsters to that tank now doesn’t have that small business from that farm shop.’
She added: ‘If you really want to save the planet, go and pick up litter. Pick up litter on the beaches at Douglas. Pick up litter in the hedgerows. You won’t get any clicks. It won’t be a very exciting video. But you’ll be doing a lot more for the environment.’