The news that the world’s first octopus farm is to open in Spain next year received huge media and public attention. But with ‘high welfare’ octopus farming an impossibility according to scientists, is there still time to stop it before it starts? Claire Hamlett spoke to Compassion in World Farming.

Over the Christmas period, the news that the world’s first octopus farm will open in Spain in 2023 received significant attention from the media and the public. Many people cited the wonderful documentary My Octopus Teacher as the reason they believe farming octopuses to be cruel and unjustifiable. Scientists and campaigners have stated categorically that it is not possible to farm octopuses humanely, which is a much stronger position than the welfarism applied to other animals already trapped in an entrenched industry. Is there a chance the farm can be stopped from opening, and the industry shut down before it begins?

In October 2021, campaign group Compassion in World Farming (CIWF) published a report about why octopuses should not be farmed, written by marine biologist and CIWF Fish Research Manager Dr Elena Lara. The eight reasons given against octopus farming include how a farm environment will harm octopuses and marine ecosystems, and the lack of protection for octopus welfare under EU law. CIWF has sent the report and letters to the Spanish authorities in Las Palmas where the farm will be opened by Spanish company Nueva Pescanova, urging them to stop it from going any further.

“We have had no response,” Lara told Surge. She explained that CIWF already contacted the Spanish government when the prospect of octopus farming was still more theoretical, only to be told that they could not do anything about an industry that didn’t exist yet. The result of this attitude is, of course, that the industry is now on the brink of becoming a reality. Meanwhile, Spanish animal protection group Anima Naturalis are also trying to build pressure on Nueva Pescanova by asking people to tweet or send an email (in Spanish) to the company to condemn their plans.

From the UK side, scientists have suggested that the government could consider a ban on importing farmed octopus. Researchers from the London School of Economics recently produced a review of more than 300 scientific studies showing the sentience of octopuses and other cephalopods as well as crustaceans including crabs and lobsters, and stated in the conclusion, “We are convinced that high-welfare octopus farming is impossible.” As a result, these animals have been included in the Animal Welfare (Sentience) Bill. Unfortunately, this will have no impact on “any existing legislation or industry practices such as fishing” or on “the shellfish catching or restaurant industry” and will instead “ensure animal welfare is well considered in future decision-making.” But octopus farming is not yet an existing industry, and the inclusion of octopuses in the sentience bill are strong grounds for not supporting its development by denying it a market in the UK.

Unsurprisingly, the UK government has yet to engage seriously with this idea, let alone properly consider the implications of recognising animals that are commonly turned into food as sentient. This is a worrying sign that the UK government, like the Spanish administration, will be reluctant to move against an industry before it is fully up and running.

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Another avenue for stopping the farm could be to pressure European food agencies, as US group In Defense of Animals (IDAUSA) is urging people to do. At the time of writing, more than 12,000 people have submitted emails to Dr Bernhard Url, Executive Director of the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA), and Rafael Escudero Alday, President of the Spanish Agency for Food Safety and Nutrition (AESAN). The EFSA provides independent scientific advice to the EU on existing and emerging risks associated with the food system, while AESAN is responsible for promoting food safety and for providing objective information to consumers on the Spanish agrifood industry.

What are some other ways that all those people who were moved by My Octopus Teacher can help stop the Nueva Pescanova farm and octopus farming more generally? One obvious action, says Lara, is not to eat octopus. As many Surge readers are unlikely to eat animals of any kind, we can call out businesses that sell or promote the eating of any octopuses. In August 2021, a tweet condemning the sale of an octopus for a mere 36p at Morrisons went viral and made the news, triggering widespread criticism of the supermarket.

While octopuses are not frequently available in UK supermarkets, they can occasionally be sold as special items. Ocado is the only major supermarket that sells it as one of its usual products, albeit for a lot more than Morrisons did, but that doesn’t make it less harmful to the animal. Newspapers and other media outlets can also be held to account for publishing recipes for octopuses, such as the Guardian, BBC, and Jamie Oliver. Unsurprisingly, many Spanish and South American restaurants sell octopus dishes, but so does popular Japanese chain YO! Sushi, which its customers could ask to be removed from the menu.

While vegans know that no animal deserves to die for our food, it is important to remember that it will be easier to prevent a new type of animal farming before it begins than to undo it once it has begun and becomes normalised. There is a small window of time left in which to stop Nueva Pescanova’s farm from forcing thousands of sensitive creatures into torturous conditions, and we must all use our voices to ensure that as many people as possible reject octopus farming for what it is: morally abhorrent.

Claire Hamlett is a freelance journalist, writer and regular contributor at Surge. Based in Oxford, UK, Claire tells stories that challenge systemic exploitation of and disregard for animals and the environment and that point to a better way of doing things.

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