The EU can’t keep ignoring fish

Even though fish have been recognised as sentient beings by the EU since 2009, the block has not yet adopted rules to protect aquatic animals in fish farms or at the time of slaughter.

This affects more than a billion fish farmed each year in the EU, who are left with no real protection for their welfare.

In 2023, the European Commission was meant to publish a comprehensive reform of the EU animal welfare legislation but failed to deliver on that promise. Instead, it only published a proposal to better protect animals during transport that covers fish and other aquatic animals, but nothing to protect them on-farm or to guarantee humane slaughter.

This is despite an overwhelming 91% of Europeans believe the welfare of fish should be protected to the same or greater extent as other farmed animals.

Urgent action needed

As the European Commission prepares the EU 2040 Vision for Fisheries and Aquaculture and the modernisation of the Animal Welfare legislation, European policymakers must introduce species-specific legislation to protect fish welfare across Europe.

Antoine Mackay Tifine, Global Campaigns Manager at Compassion in World Farming, said:

Our latest investigation did not shed only a light on the complete disregard for carp welfare on farms, but also exposed a wider crisis: billions of fish suffer in intensive farms all across Europe because there is no legislation to protect their welfare,

Despite the shocking scale of fish suffering, the EU has failed to act. This is why we took our investigation to their very doorsteps – to confront them with the horrific conditions farmed fish need to endure and ensure change.

Sign our petition to show politicians that citizens care for aquatic animals.

Giant inflatable carp helps to illustrate fish farming cruelty