Today, on the occasion of World Octopus DayCompassion in World Farming (CIWF) revealed something we don’t like at all: Italy has allocated over a quarter of a million euros to support the development of octopus farming.
Yes, you read that right. While hospitals, schools and infrastructure suffer from a lack of funding, our government has chosen to invest public money in a cruel and unsustainable practice. And Italy is obviously not alone. Globally, at least 13.3 million euros were spent on this crazy project.
Spain leads this race with almost 10 million euros invested. A shocking figure which, in addition to being a clear violation of respect for animals, represents an affront to real environmental and social priorities. Europe, on the other hand, has allocated 3.6 million euros, both as financing and as part of loans to support the private companies involved.
But why is octopus farming so problematic? First of all, octopuses are extremely intelligent and solitary creatures, totally unsuited to life in captivity. Locking them up in small spaces causes stress, aggressive behavior and, in some cases, episodes of cannibalism. During their evolution, these animals have developed complex behaviors to survive in the seas and certainly not in the tanks of intensive farming.
Secondly, there is theenormous environmental impact. Octopuses, as carnivores, must be fed wild-caught fish, thus increasing pressure on already overfished fisheries. Instead of protecting oceans and fisheries, we are therefore funding a system that further destroys them, threatening coastal communities and biodiversity.
We get indignant when we hear about poorly managed public funds and even in this case the anger is more than justified. With 84% of Italians believing that public money should only support sustainable practices, according to a CIWF survey, it is clear that public opinion is against these wicked choices.
Animal rights and environmental associations have launched an appeal: Let’s immediately stop funding for octopus farming. Spain, the main culprit of this madness, is already in the crosshairs. In fact, in light of the revelations of the research published by CIWF, over 90 associations and leading figures have appealed to the President of the Spanish Government, the main financier of octopus farming, to stop public funds allocated to this practice and start the legislative process to ban it.
But Italy can no longer afford to ignore the consequences of these choices. This is not just wasted money, but an affront to all those fighting for a more equitable and sustainable world.
Intensive octopus farming is an announced disaster (this is also the title of a CIWF report). We can no longer tolerate our taxes funding the suffering of sentient animals and the destruction of marine ecosystems.
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