Public funds from the New Zealand taxpayer are being spent by the Government in pursuit of factory farming octopuses, aiming to confine these solitary, sensitive beings in barren tanks and subject them to crowded, unnatural conditions where stress, cannibalism, and suffering are inevitable. Farming octopuses is not just cruel, it’s environmentally unsustainable. These remarkable creatures feel pain, distress, and frustration as profoundly as other animals we protect.
Open letter to the NZ Government’s Endeavour Fund – May 21 2025
This letter, signed by 169 organisations, including members of the Aquatic Animal Alliance, a global coalition working to improve the welfare of aquatic animals in the food system, is a call to the New Zealand Government to decline any new funding of projects that aim to develop octopus factory farming. While this new form of aquaculture is still in the research phase, it will cause extensive harm should it become a reality. It is both unethical and unsustainable. Early-stage research has not demonstrated any pathway to achieving high-welfare farming or ecosystem-neutral farming for octopuses. These concerns are not speculative but evidence-based.
Government money spent on octopus farming includes one million dollars already awarded by the Ministry for Business, Innovation and Employment’s Endeavour Fund to research at the University of Auckland to develop octopus farming. Official Information Act requests regarding further funding applications have been refused. We call for this new form of factory farming to be rejected, not enabled by the New Zealand Government and government institutions.
Octopus farming is highly problematic from an animal welfare perspective, and also presents risks to biodiversity and biosafety, environmental degradation, and public health:
- Octopuses are complex, highly intelligent and inquisitive, and would require a level of enrichment impossible in a farm. A 2021 London School of Economics review of 300 scientific studies concluded that high-welfare farming of octopuses is not possible
- The New Zealand Animal Welfare Act recognises that octopuses are sentient animals, meaning they feel pain and have feelings, emotions, perceptions, and experiences that matter to them
- Octopuses are solitary, wild animals who are incompatible with being raised in captivity and would suffer greatly on industrial farms
- Due to their physiology, it is impossible to slaughter octopuses without significant suffering
- Octopus farming raises significant environmental concerns due to effluents being produced and discharged into surrounding ecosystems. Even where mitigation measures are claimed (e.g. effluent dispersal or filtration), studies show that nutrient loading (nitrogen, phosphorus) can disrupt coastal ecosystems, drive algal blooms, and harm biodiversity. Relying on ocean currents to “dilute” waste does not eliminate the environmental burden but simply displaces it
- The risk of octopuses escaping from farms poses a risk to local habitats and wild populations. This is both from transmission of on-farm disease and also ecological imbalance, as introduced farmed species can compete with or prey upon native species, compounding biodiversity threats
- Octopuses are carnivorous, and it can take multiple kilograms of animal protein to produce one kilogram of farmed octopus. This is unsustainable. Any increase in the use of fish and other aquatic animal products required for farmed octopuses will exacerbate pressure on overfished stocks
- Octopus farming poses public health risks, as farmed aquatic animals are vectors of multiple pathogens and zoonotic diseases. This includes the Vibrio pathogens associated with cholera
- Large-scale aquatic farms are a breeding ground for pathogenic bacteria and risk increasing antibiotic resistance
Rather than expanding aquaculture to include animals previously unfarmed and highly unsuitable for being farmed, New Zealand has the opportunity to be a leader in the field of sustainable and ethical food systems that benefit all New Zealanders instead. More sustainable alternatives to invest resources in include:
1. Sustainable plant-based aquaculture, including seaweed farming
2. Critical restoration of marine ecosystems
3. Support for innovation in alternative non-animal-based proteins
Octopus aquaculture is a bad investment in every sense. Campaigns and legislative processes are underway across the globe to ban octopus farming, and New Zealand could be at the forefront of this progress.
Applying the precautionary principle, we urge the government to cease funding research into the unethical and unsustainable octopus farming industry and to prohibit any octopus farming in New Zealand.
Signed by these 169 organisations in New Zealand and around the world:
List of signatory organisation names:
Aquatic Life Institute
Animals Aotearoa
Australian Alliance for Animals
Animal Justice Party Aotearoa NZ
Aotearoa Liberation League
Beyond Animal Research
Black Sheep Animal Sanctuary
Green Party of Aotearoa New Zealand
Greenpeace Aotearoa
HUHA (Helping You Help Animals)
New Zealand Anti-Vivisection Society
Veterinarians for Animal Welfare Aotearoa
Vegan Society of Aotearoa
Acción Océanos
Action for Protection of Animals Africa
Action For Dolphins
AEL Advocacy
African Marine Mammal Conservation Organization
Alexandria Turtle And Wildlife Rescue
Alianima
Alliance for Human Animal Coexistence
Angolan Vegetarian Association
Anima International
Anima Naturalis
ANIMAL
Animal Action Greece
Animal Advocacy Africa
Animal Advocates International
Animal Empathy Philippines
Animal Equality
Animal Friends Croatia
Animal Justice Canada
Animal Interfaith Alliance
Animal Kingdom Foundation
Animal Law Focus
Animal Law Italia
Animal Libre
Animal Nepal
Animal Rights Center Japan
Animal Rights Initiative
Animal Save Movement
Animal Society e.V.
Animals Don’t Speak Human
Animal Welfare Advocates Association the Gambia
Animal Welfare and Environment Network for Tanzania
Animal Welfare Concern
Animal Welfare Institute
Animal Welfare Observatory
Animals Australia
Animals Now
Apon Welfare
ARAF-PLATEAU DOGON
ARBA
Arusha Society for the Protection of Animals
Aware
Better Food Foundation
BC SPCA
Catholic Concern for Animals
Congo Basin Conservation Society CBCS-Network
Coalition of African Animal Welfare Organisations
Compassion in World Farming
Conservative Animal Welfare Foundation
Crustacean compassion
The Dark Hobby
Depana
Deutscher Tierschutzbund
Dharma Voices for Animals
Dieren Bescherming
Djurens Rätt
Dyrenes Alliance
Environmental and Animal Society of Taiwan (EAST)
Education for African Animals Welfare
Environmental and Animal Rights Consultants Pakistan
Essere Animali
Estonian Union for the Protection of Animals (MTÜ Eestimaa Loomakaitse Liit)
The European Institute for Animal Law & Policy
Ethical Farming Ireland
FAADA
fair-fish international
Farmállatvédelem
Feedback Global
Fish Welfare Initiative
La Fondation Droit Animal, Éthique et Sciences (LFDA)
Fórum Animal
F.R.E.E
Frente Animal
Friends of Phillip
Fundación Abogados Por Los Animales APLA
Fundacion defensa y derecho animal
Fundación Veg
Future For Fish
Ghana Animal Welfare Society
Green REV Institute
Humane Africa Trust
The Humane Global Network
The Humane League
Humánny pokrok
In Defense of Animals
Institute of Animal Law Asia
International Centre for Animal Rights and Ethics (ICARE)
Invisible Animals (Nevidimi Zhivotni)
Kitwe Animal Welfare Society
Kurdistan Organization for Animal Rights Protection
KYMA sea conservation & research
L214
Lady Freethinker
The Last Cage
Lever
Life of Pachamama
Lilongwe Society for Protection and Care of Animals
Luv 4 all: Uganda
Meru Animal Welfare Organization
National Council of SPCAs
Nepal Animal Welfare and Environment Society (NAWES)
Nepal Animal Welfare and Research Center (NAWRC)
New Roots Institute
Nurture Imvelo Trust
Nuru Animal Welfare Organization
Oikeutta eläimille
OIPA – International Organization for Animal Protection
One Health and Development Initiative
ONG Sante Animale Afrique (SAA)
Podrska foundation
PlantBased Treaty
Plataforma ALTO
Planet For All
Protección Animal Ecuador (PAE)
Proyecto ALA
PAZ
RENCTAS
Rwanda Animal Welfare Organization (RAWO)
SAFCEI
SAFE (Save Animals from Exploitation)
Samayu
Sea Shepherd Brasil
Seastemik
Sentience
Sentient Media
Shellfish Network
Shrimp Welfare Project
Sibanye Animal Welfare and Conservancy Trust
Sinergia Animal
Somali Animal Welfare Society (SAWS)
Sống Thuần Chay
SPCA Montreal
SPCA Selangor
Tanzania Animals Protection Organization
Tanzania Animal Welfare Society (TAWESO)
Te Protejo
Terranimal Ecuador
Teuluu Sustainability Foundation
Tikobane Trust
Todos Somos Animales
Tourists Against Trophy Hunting
University of Guilan
Uganda vegan society
Utunzi Animal Welfare Organization
Vegan Planet Africa
Vege zajednica
Vissenbescherming
Vivamar Society
Voices for Animals
Voters for animals rights
We Animals
Welfare Footprint Project (Center for Welfare Metrics)
West Africa Centre for the Protection of Animal Welfare (WACPAW)
World Animal Justice
World Animal Protection
WTS
It’s great to see this massive support around the globe.
Hopefully, our industry will listen & put a stop to this horrible animal suffering.
Octopuses are sentient beings, meant to live an appropriate to their lifestyle existence.
There are other food sources for humans that can be commercialized in a far less harmful way. If octopuses are not available on the plate, humans will survive. And octopuses can go on with their lives without worrying about the horrors we might inflict on them.
I don’t need specific research for that – it’s logic. However, just for the record: I am not a child, but have my research based Postgrad Degree & many years of work behind me.
As far as I am concerned, this is an emotive issue – for humans as well as these sea creatures.
As they say: profits are not everything. And if one needs to be made, find it somewhere else.
This will be my open letter to the Hon. ministers.
Additionally I would like to thank ACTION NETWORK – ANIMALS AOTEAROA for your incredible work & effort on this important campaign and other projects, protecting & advocating on behalf of our fellow animals.
Yours sincerely,
Manuela Freeman
Whangarei
Thank you for your support to stop octopus farming and our our organisation, Manuela.