Plans For World’s First Octopus Farm Abandoned Following NGO Pressure
by Compassion in World Farming · SCOOPJuly 23, 2026
Compassion in World Farming has welcomed a landmark victory after Nueva Pescanova today (23 July 2026) abandoned plans to build the world’s first commercial octopus farm in Gran Canaria, Spain.
The farm, proposed by Spanish seafood company Nueva Pescanova for the Port of Las Palmas, would have confined around one million octopuses a year in barren tanks and caused serious damage to our oceans.
The plans sparked global outcry from animal welfare organisations, scientists, campaigners and members of the public. Today’s news follows a recent push by Compassion in World Farming to get the Las Palmas Port Authority to officially close the planning application for the farm. More than 43,000 emails were sent to the Authority urging them to act.
Earlier today the Port Authority confirmed that Nueva Pesvanova had dropped its plans to build the farm in Las Palmas. Compassion in World Farming has campaigned for five years to stop the project. During this time, the NGO has published three major research reports, launched open letters and mobilised NGOs, experts and celebrities to join the campaign.
Dr Elena Lara, Senior Research and Policy Advisor at Compassion in World Farming, said:
“After years of pressure, this is a huge victory for octopuses, our oceans and everyone who joined us in campaigning to stop the world's firstoctopusfarm.
“Octopuses are intelligent, wild animals, not products to be caged in factory farms. The decision to abandon this project sends a powerful message that the future of food must not be built on animal suffering or unsustainable practices.
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“Now governments must go further by banning octopus farming and preventing the expansion of carnivorous aquaculture.”
Octopuses are intelligent, naturally solitary, wild animals. Farming them in crowded, barren tanks would have caused serious welfare problems including stress, aggression and cannibalism. There is no scientifically approved, humane method for slaughtering octopuses at scale.
The project also posed major sustainability concerns. A report from Compassion in World Farming last year found that the farm would require around 28,000 tonnes of wild-caught fish for feed in its first year, to produce just 3,000 tonnes of octopus meat. This would have added pressure to already stretched fish populations, threatening marine ecosystems and coastal communities who rely on the fish for food.
Compassion in World Farming will continue campaigning to expose the cruelty and environmental damage associated with octopus farming and urge decision makers in the Canary Islands, Spain and the EU to ban these cruel farms and prevent the expansion of carnivorous aquaculture.
Notes:
- Compassion in World Farming was founded in 1967 by a British dairy farmer who became horrified at the development of intensive factory farming. Today Compassion is the leading farm animal welfare organisation dedicated to ending factory farming and achieving humane and sustainable food production. With headquarters in the UK, we have offices across Europe, in the US, China and South Africa.
- Compassion in World Farming's report, The Growing Threat of Carnivorous Aquaculture, outlines the potential damage of Nueva Pescanova’s proposed octopus farm to food security and marine ecosystems. It was published in October 2025.
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