- 177 organisations worldwide stand with New Zealand against factory farming of highly sentient animals.
- Giant octopuses have appeared on billboards overnight, with a key message: Ban Octopus Factory Farming.
The billboards come after advocacy charity Animals Aotearoa wrote to every New Zealand political party, requesting that they include a commitment to prohibit commercial octopus farming in their policy platforms for the upcoming election. The letter, cosigned by the Aquatic Animal Alliance coalition of 177 organisations across 75 countries – including NZ-based SPCA and SAFE – points to scientific evidence that octopuses are highly sentient animals with advanced cognitive abilities. Also highlighted are the absence of validated welfare safeguards, lack of humane slaughter methods, and environmental concerns about farming carnivorous species dependent on animal protein.
“Octopus factory farming is a bad investment in every sense,” says Marianne Macdonald, Executive Director of Animals Aotearoa. “Octopuses are sentient wonders. With three hearts, blue blood, and minds that dream, they navigate their ocean world with intelligence that rivals our own. They solve puzzles, navigate elaborate mazes, use tools, recognise individual humans, and even decorate their dens with shells. These are creatures to be in awe of, not to exploit in sordid factory farms.”
Steve Abel of The Green Party of Aotearoa New Zealand responded positively to the call to ban octopus farming, “We are concerned about efforts to introduce octopus farming to Aotearoa and support prohibiting octopus farming before this harmful practice can be established”, adding, “Octopus are extraordinary species and farming them is totally unacceptable”. Karen Singleton, Animal Justice Party Aotearoa NZ said, “Progress isn’t measured by what we can commercialise, but by the wisdom to know who should be left in the ocean. We already ask billions of animals to pay the price of economic growth. We don’t need to add octopuses to that list.”
“New Zealand has a unique opportunity to prevent the suffering associated with octopus factory farming before this industry begins to operate,” said Catalina López Salazar, Director of the Aquatic Animal Alliance. “Around the world, governments are increasingly recognizing that these highly intelligent, curious, and sentient animals cannot be raised humanely in intensive farming systems. By acting now, New Zealand can demonstrate global leadership in protecting animal welfare and set an example for other countries considering this emerging industry.”
Octopus aquaculture – a new form of intensive farming still in the research phase – would cause extensive harm. The New Zealand Government has already granted $1 million of public funds to the University of Auckland to advance this new form of exploitation. But because the octopus farming industry has not yet been established, there is a rare window of opportunity to prevent it from taking hold.
“We showed the octopus reaching out to show how often they’ve sought to connect with people,” Macdonald explains. “We also wanted to highlight that octopuses are escape artists of the highest calibre. These animals can fit through the tiniest of gaps, the size of their beak. But they need our help to escape a future in factory farms.”
A specially commissioned animation by Auckland-based artist Timothy Armstrong provides a glimpse of the risk octopus farming poses. Based on an industry research report, it features Octopus tetricus, the native octopus studied for exploitation in Aotearoa.
“In Aotearoa, the petition calling for a ban on octopus farming has gathered 7,770 petition signatures so far. New Zealanders are making clear they want their country at the forefront of this progress”, says Macdonald.
The campaign reflects a growing global movement. Washington State and California have already banned octopus farming. Legislation has been introduced in Mexico and Chile.
The petition is being officially launched at an event in Wellington, next Tuesday, 28 July. Sign at www.animalsaotearoa.org/stop-octopus-farming/
About Animals Aotearoa
New Zealand’s Animals Aotearoa is a registered charity whose mission is to improve the well-being of farmed animals and end their suffering. They work to protect the welfare of aquatic animals, with a particular focus on preventing octopus factory farming. They also improve the lives of chickens bred for meat by securing welfare commitments from food businesses and raising public awareness of the suffering caused by the way chickens are bred and farmed.
About the Aquatic Animal Alliance
Founded by the Aquatic Life Institute (ALI), the Aquatic Animal Alliance is a coalition of more than 190 advocacy organisations across 75 countries dedicated to improving the welfare of aquatic animals within the global food system. ALI is an international non-profit organisation that works on advancing aquatic animal welfare in both aquaculture and wild capture fisheries globally. They work with certifiers, nonprofits, academic institutions, industry stakeholders, governments, and the public to improve the welfare of aquatic animals.
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