World’s first octopus farm criticized over ‘cruel’ plan
Web Desk
The world’s first octopus farm being built in Spain’s Canary Islands has been criticized as “cruel” over its plans to freeze the animals to death. The plan to make the farm has raised deep concerns among scientists over the welfare of the famously intelligent creatures.
According to reports, the farm would raise about a million octopuses annually for food, despite concerns over animal welfare, according to plans revealed by some groups, such as Compassion in World Farming (CiWF) and Eurogroup for Animals.
Concern was expressed over the plan and the Europen Union was told not to use public funds to support octopus farming developments, or any other new industrial animal-based farming in the light of significant and growing scientific evidence that it is killing our planet.
Octopuses are eaten worldwide, including in the Mediterranean, Asia, and Latin America.
The plan to build an octopus farm was submitted to the General Directorate of Fishing of the Government of the Canary Islands by the company Nueva Pescanova. It was uncovered by Eurogroup for Animals which severely criticized it.
The groups criticizing the plan have expressed a number of concerns, including the use of a cruel slaughter method, the confinement of octopuses in small barren tanks, and practices that contribute to the overexploitation of wild fish populations.
They called for the octopus farm to be scrapped after plans obtained for the development revealed the animal cruelty and environmental consequences it would cause.
