A bill to ban octopus and tuna farming in Italy is being tabled, as political and public pressure mounts on the European Commission to introduce an EU-wide ban to stop the industry before it starts, this World Octopus Day (8 October 2026).

Italian MP Devis Dori (Alleanza Verdi e Sinistra) will present a bill that seeks to ban octopus and tuna farming in Italy on 13 October 2026. The proposal will be unveiled during a press conference at the Chamber of Deputies (Lower House) and will focus on the protection of the Mediterranean Sea and the concerns related to the expansion of carnivorous aquaculture.

The move coincides with efforts by MEPs and NGOs to persuade the European Commission to introduce an EU-wide ban. 35 Members of the European Parliament have written directly to Commissioner Costas Kadis, the commissioner for fisheries and oceans, calling for an EU-wide ban. And a letter coordinated by Compassion in World Farming, signed by over 160 NGOs and scientists, was delivered to the European Commission calling for urgent action to stop the expansion of carnivorous aquaculture and to ban octopus farming across the bloc.

As part of the coordinated action, petitions will also be delivered in France and the Netherlands. In France, campaigners will hand in a petition with over 102,000 signatures to the cabinet of the Minister Delegate for the Sea and Fisheries. It calls for:

a ban on octopus farming at a European level and a moratorium in France to prevent the start of any future project
to stop the expansion of aquaculture to new carnivorous species
to reduce the use of wild fish in aquaculture feed.

Street artist Kraken, known for his massive octopuses painted on the walls of Paris, will stage a unique artistic event organised by CIWF France. He will unveil a monumental work on an XXL canvas bearing a powerful message to 'Keep Them Wild'. Displayed on a barge in the heart of Paris, this creation will serve as the backdrop for speeches by scientists and policymakers calling on Europe to take action before this industry takes hold.

In the Netherlands a petition urging the Spanish Government to ban octopus farming with over 13,000 signatures was handed to the Spanish Embassy.

Earlier this year, Spanish seafood company Nueva Pescanova abandoned plans for the world’s first commercial octopus farm in Gran Canaria following a 5-year campaign from Compassion in World Farming and other NGOs, campaigners, and scientists.

The NGO is now urging the European Commission to act and ensure lasting political safeguards to prevent octopus farming from becoming the next frontier of factory farming.

Charlotte Reid, Deputy Director of Global Campaigns Policy & Advocacy at Compassion in World Farming said:

Octopuses are naturally solitary, intelligent, wild animals. They are not products to be confined in underwater factory farms.

The collapse of Nueva Pescanova’s plans in Gran Canaria shows that public opposition and action can make a difference to stopping animal cruelty.

Pressure is intensifying across Europe to stop this cruel and unnecessary industry from taking hold. The proposals for national legislation in Italy are a welcome and important step, and momentum is building for the European Commission to show similar leadership, listen to the scientists, campaigners, citizens, and politicians calling for a ban, and to act now.

Octopuses welfare needs cannot be met in crowded, barren tanks. They are also carnivorous, so farming them would not only be a disaster for their welfare, but it would also depend on large quantities of wild-caught fish for feed adding further pressure to our already overexploited oceans.

Last year, Compassion in World Farming published research which found that Nueva Pescanova’s proposed farm would have required around 28,000 tonnes of wild-caught fish in its first year to produce only 3,000 tonnes of octopus meat.

The NGO is calling for the European Commission to halt the expansion of carnivorous aquaculture and introduce an EU-wide ban on octopus farming.

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For more information or to arrange interviews, please email media.team@ciwf.org or call +44 (0)1483 521 615

Notes to Editors

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.
To find out more about Compassion in World Farming visit: www.ciwf.org.

Pressure grows on EU to ban octopus farming