In news of progress for our global campaign to ban octopus farming, a federal bill to prevent the commercial farming of octopuses, as well as the importation and sale of commercially farmed octopuses, has been reintroduced by U.S. Senators Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI) and Lisa Murkowski (R-AK).  The bipartisan legislation was originally introduced in 2024 and is being brought forward again now due to continued momentum at the federal level for the bill to become law. It is preceded by the introduction of similar legislation in various U.S. states, including formal laws in California and Washington.    The bill, referred to as “Opposing the Cultivation and Trade of Octopus Produced through Unethical Strategies Act of 2025” or the “OCTOPUS Act of 2025,” prohibits any authorization of commercial octopus aquaculture operations in the United States and its exclusive economic zone. The bill also prohibits the importation into the United States - or the re-exportation - of commercially aquacultured octopus, including any living or dead specimens, parts, or derivatives, or any product containing specimens, parts, or derivatives of such octopus.   We at Aquatic Life Institute (ALI) believe that the reintroduction of this federal bill signifies a watershed moment in protecting against the environmental, ethical, and public health challenges associated with octopus farming. This bill, as well as other recent legislative progress, follows the advocacy efforts of several NGOs, including ALI, Animal Legal Defense Fund, and more. ALI has actively supported this bill via conversations with Senator Whitehouse’s office and by sending the scientific material essential to craft the bill in an evidence-based manner.   More recent progress on the global campaign to ban octopus farming include: * In May, together with Animals Aotearoa and other Aquatic Animal Alliance members, Aquatic Life Institute and 168 organizations signed an open letter urging New Zealand’s government to stop fund

Hello everyone! We have two new announcements for Peru this past month. GRETA Tienda Saludable is a growing retailer that distributes to 21 districts in Lima and has 4 locations. Link https://www.instagram.com/s/aGlnaGxpZ2h0OjE4MzY0MDc0MzQwMTk1NzE1?story_media_id=3642493995188931201&igsh=a3U0dWh2NHJjZXFh Scale: National - Perú Who: Arba Failed tactics: None Successful tactics: Working from the beginning of conversations with the entire team. Scalability: New locations are opening soon. Follow-up: We will stay in touch to request reports on their implementation. SAMACA is a store, restaurant, cafe, and bookstore with three locations in Lima and Ica. Link: https://www.instagram.com/p/DI4lYftxoEC/?igsh=MXB6dXlpNzVxbzIzbg%3D%3DD Scale: National - Perú Who: Arba Failed tactics: None Successful tactics: Our negotiations were always positive and friendly. Scalability: They are opening new locations soon. Follow-up: We will stay in touch to request reports on their implementation. Thank you very much, Sincerely,  

* After negotiations with ICAW, the UK retailer Morrisons committed to eliminating eyestalk ablation and implementing pre-slaughter electric stunning for all farmed shrimp in its supply chain by 2027. * We have been actively talking to them for several months and they have been very impressed by our recent campaign against Iceland, including our recent protests in London! Morrisons joins several UK retailers that have already made similar commitments: M&S, Tesco, Sainsbury's, Ocado, and Co-op. A huge thank you to everyone who participated to this win for shrimp ! For any questions, please email me at jaudemard@i-caw.org

Hi FAST Friends!!! I have exciting news! A California court has ruled that LIC's cruelty lawsuit can proceed against well-known dairy operation Alexandre Family Farm, which supplies Whole Foods and other large grocers.  Legal Impact for Chickens (LIC) is the plaintiff in the lawsuit. We allege that Alexandre workers pour table salt into cows’ eyes, drag disabled cows across concrete, and starve cattle.  The lawsuit followed Farm Forward's April 2024 exposé revealing “systemic deception, cruelty, and animal abuse” at Alexandre Family Farm. Farm Forward documented and released those findings with the help of rancher whistleblowers who came forward to bring these activities to light.  The Humboldt County Superior Court's well-reasoned eight-page ruling affirmed LIC’s power, as a California society for the prevention of cruelty to animals (SPCA), to prevent cruelty through civil litigation:  > “[T]he Court finds that an SPCA filing and prosecuting a civil action to enjoin violations of animal cruelty laws . . . is one of the multiple avenues for the enforcement of California’s animal cruelty laws.” We hope other companies that abuse animals will look at this and start to rethink their behavior. Alexandre is also the subject of a separate federal class action alleging that it falsely represented Alexandre Family Farm products as “humane.”  LIC's Equal Justice Fellow, Isabella Nilsson, did the oral argument. She crushed it. Thank you to everyone in FAST who helped make this happen in various ways. <3 <3 <3 Here's to standing up against cruelty. Sincerely, Alene & LIC