Plans to build the world’s first commercial octopus farm in Gran Canaria, Spain, have been scrapped, in a major victory for octopuses and the global animal welfare movement.
Plans by Spanish company Nueva Pescanova to farm one million octopuses per year were leaked in 2023, sparking widespread concern among scientists and animal welfare organisations.
Octopuses are highly intelligent, curious and solitary animals, making them fundamentally unsuited to intensive farming. Confining them in crowded, barren tanks would inevitably compromise their welfare, while the proposed production system raised serious concerns about breeding, high mortality rates, the absence of humane slaughter methods and the environmental impacts of farming a carnivorous species that relies on wild-caught fish for feed.
Eurogroup for Animals, Compassion in World Farming, AnimaNaturalis, INTERCIDS and Aquatic Life Institute continuously called for plans to be halted, highlighting its potential impacts through evidenced reports on the immense welfare and environmental risks of farming octopuses. Eurogroup for Animals coordinated its network on scientific advocacy, legal action and public mobilisation, engaging national and EU policymakers on the issue. Meanwhile, momentum grew internationally, with a number of US States introducing a ban on octopus farming.
While this is a significant milestone, it does not mark the end. As other companies continue to explore octopus farming, there is an urgent need for the EU to introduce a ban that prevents similar projects from emerging in the future, ensuring that these sentient invertebrates remain protected.
“Over the past three years, global recognition of the sentience of aquatic invertebrates such as octopuses has continued to grow. Thanks to the collective efforts of our network of member organisations, scientists, and an incredible groundswell of public support, we have prevented a cruel new industry from taking hold in Europe. Now, we must build on this momentum by securing an EU-wide ban on octopus farming”, commented Keri Tietge, Food Systems Project Manager, Eurogroup for Animals.
Eurogroup for Animals represents over one hundred animal protection organisations in almost all EU Member States, the UK, Switzerland, Serbia, Norway, Montenegro, Bosnia & Herzegovina, Brazil, Canada, India, Kenya, South Africa, Thailand, Turkiye, Ukraine, United States, Venezuela and Australia. Since its foundation in 1980, the organisation has succeeded in encouraging the EU to adopt higher legal standards for animal protection. Eurogroup for Animals reflects public opinion through its members and has both the scientific and technical expertise to provide authoritative advice on issues relating to animal protection. Eurogroup for Animals is a founding member of the World Federation for Animals which unites the animal protection movement at the global level.
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