Good… read a book about octopus and you’ll never eat one again…
The Spanish association of law professionals, INTERCIDS, has presented a legislative proposal to national politicians that aims to establish a proactive ban on octopus farming across the country. The proposal responds to the growing chorus of scientists, animal and environmental protection organisations, and citizens who have spoken out against octopus farming.
Although no industrial octopus farms currently exist in Spain or elsewhere, seafood multinational Nueva Pescanova announced plans to establish the world’s first industrial-scale octopus farming in the Canary Islands.
Submitted to the Parliamentary Association for the Defence of Animal Rights (APDDA), the proposal seeks to amend Spain’s national Law 23/1984 on marine farming/aquaculture in order to prohibit the farming of octopuses for food and any other productive purpose. It would also ban the commercialisation of octopus products derived from such activities.
Octopuses consumed as food are currently caught in the wild, primarily by small-scale fisheries. There are no existing legal frameworks regulating octopus aquaculture in Spain. Therefore, INTERCIDS’ proposal aims to close that gap preemptively by enshrining a ban into law that addresses the grave risks associated with the farming of captive octopuses.
It is the public authorities’ duty to protect the environment and animals. And they have to do so by applying the precautionary principle. In the case of octopus farming, this would entail a completely new activity, for which no specific regulations exist and yet we already know will inevitably result in harmful consequences for these animals and for the environment. In light of these negative impacts, as a crucial precaution, octopus farming should be banned. And considering that so far it is a non-existent activity, the time to ban it is now. This is a matter of public responsibility.
María Gonzalez, Attorney, Member of Board Directive of INTERCIDS
The next steps for the proposal will depend on national politicians, who must decide whether they will move forward with submitting it as a formal legislative proposal to be approved by the Parliament in the coming months.
