Some Animals Should Never Be Farmed

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. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit quietcanines.substack.com/subscribe