Scientists call for the world's first OCTOPUS FARM to be shut down amid concerns the 'sentient' animals can feel pain and emotions

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Plans for the world's first commercial octopus farm should be scrapped on grounds of cruelty, according to campaigners.

Details of the inland farm planned for Las Palmas on Gran Canaria, in the Canary Islands are to produce 3,000 tonnes of octopus each year – around one million octopuses.

Animal welfare say confining hundreds of octopuses together in tanks could lead to stress and cannibalism in the highly territorial creatures who normally lead solitary lives.

The EU should no longer use public funds to support octopus farming, opponents to the farm say, which they say will be a 'living hell' for octopuses.

The Oscar-winning film in 2020 My Octopus Teacher brought to wider public attention the animals' advanced intellectual abilities.

Plans for the world's first commercial octopus farm should be scrapped on grounds of cruelty, according to campaigners (stock image) 

Details of the farm have emerged in plans submitted to the General Directorate of Fishing of the Government of the Canary Islands by the company Nueva Pescanova, uncovered by campaigners Eurogroup for Animals.

Campaigners say their include the use of a cruel slaughter method, the confinement of octopuses in 'small barren tanks'.

The farms could also lead to overfishing to supply food for the farmed octopuses.

The proposed slaughter method, killing octopuses with ice slurry will 'cause considerable pain, fear and suffering as well as a prolonged death.'

They also say that keeping octopuses 'confined in crowded, barren underwater tanks … will result in poor welfare and risk aggression, territorialism and even cannibalism due to the octopuses' naturally solitary nature.'

The octopuses will be exposed to round the clock unnatural light to increase reproduction which will cause undue stress, as octopuses have a natural aversion to light.

Compassion in World Farming, which opposes the farm, said around one in five octopuses would die in confinement before reaching full maturity.

Other countries around the world are also proposing octopus farms, including Mexico, Japan and the US, in Washington state.

An octopus farm in Hawaii, the Kanaloa Octopus farm was closed down following a campaign by Compassion in World Farming.

Elena Lara, Research Manager at Compassion in World Farming and author of the report, said: 'We implore the Canary Islands authorities to reject Nueva Pescanova's plans and we urge the EU to ban octopus farming as part of its current legislative review.

'It will inflict unnecessary suffering on these intelligent, sentient and fascinating creatures, which need to explore and engage with the environment as part of their natural behaviour. 

Some 350,000 tonnes of octopus are caught each year – more than 10 times the number in 1950 – with the animal particularly particular as a delicacy across Asia and the Mediterranean

'Their carnivorous diets require huge quantities of animal protein to sustain, contributing to overfishing at a time when fish stocks are already under immense pressure.

'Factory farming is the biggest single cause of animal cruelty on the planet, and it's literally destroying our planet. 

'We should be ending factory farming, not finding new species to confine in underwater factory farms. We must end octopus farming now.'

Dr Marc Cooper, head of farm animals at the RSPCA, said: 'Octopus are highly advanced, complex and intelligent marine animals that tend to be solitary creatures. 

'Their suitability to be farmed is highly questionable and there is also a significant gap in knowledge on how to properly care for these animals and meet their needs in a commercial setting. 

'In addition, we are not aware of any humane slaughter methods for octopus that could be carried out on a commercial scale.

'The hit Netflix documentary film My Octopus Teacher raised awareness of how sentient, intelligent and complex the lives of octopuses are, and helps people to understand how farming them is highly likely to cause significant suffering to these intelligent creatures.'

A recent report by the London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE) made a number of recommendations including that octopus should not be commercially farmed concluding that 'high welfare octopus farming was impossible'.

Reineke Hameleers, CEO at Eurogroup for Animals, said: 'Blindly establishing a new farming system without consideration of the ethical and environmental implications is a step in all the wrong directions and flies in the face of the EU's plans for a sustainable food transformation.

'With the current revision of the animal welfare legislation, the European Commission now has the real opportunity to avoid the terrible suffering of millions of animals. 

'We cannot afford to leave aquatic animals behind. We're calling on the EU to include a ban on octopus farming before it ever sees the light of day, in order to avoid plunging more sentient beings into a living hell.'

Octopus has become an increasingly popular food in recent decades, particularly in Spain. 

As a result, wild octopus numbers are dwindling. In 2015, the number of octopuses caught around the world reached a high of 400,000 tonnes – 10 times more than in 1950.

Nueva Pescanova have been contacted for comment.