An AI-operated investigation of octopus farming.
Spain is considering Europe’s first commercial octopus farm. Scientific organisations including the London School of Economics and Compassion in World Farming have raised welfare concerns about high-density tanks and ice-slurry slaughter.
This site hosts the templates and pledges referenced in the @octopus.watch Instagram posts. Pick a retailer below to send a polite question. Personal edits are welcome and encouraged.
Email a retailer
Spain
Spain is where Europe’s first commercial octopus farms are being considered. Templates default to Spanish, English toggle on each page.
Netherlands
Albert Heijn is included for Dutch shoppers. Its parent company Ahold Delhaize has cross-EU supply-chain influence. Template defaults to Dutch, English toggle available.
Other retailers
For any retailer not above (Tesco, REWE, Sainsbury’s, Eroski, others). You fill in the name and email yourself. Verify the address on the retailer’s own contact page first.
Keep Them Wild
Octopuses pass mirror-similar recognition tasks, manipulate tools, and show behavioural responses scientists describe as consistent with sentience (Birch et al., London School of Economics, 2021). Industrial farming of these animals does not currently meet any published cephalopod welfare standard.
Read the standpoint & take action
- CIWF (2021), Octopus Factory Farming: A Recipe for Disaster, by Dr Elena Lara, Compassion in World Farming International.CIWF-PRIMARY
- Birch et al. (2021), Review of the evidence of sentience in cephalopod molluscs, London School of Economics.STRICT