The footage, which shows live fish being packed into plastic bags with no water and having their eyes gouged out, is presented by the actor Zoë Wanamaker.
“This investigation has revealed appalling and widespread cruelty exposing the desperate and urgent need for improved legal protection for farmed fish in the EU and around the world,” said Dr Natasha Boyland, fish policy and research manager at Compassion in World Farming.
“The scientific evidence is clear that fish are sentient animals capable of feeling pain and suffering, just like other animals. It is therefore totally unacceptable to allow this barbaric cruelty to continue. We must ensure that fish are protected from cruelty by comprehensive and species-specific legislation.”
Animal cruelty
The results of the NGO’s undercover investigation at four Polish trout farms also shows appalling images of live fish being gutted and being suffocated and crushed in overcrowded barrels.
Electrical devices attempting to stun were ineffective and shocks were repeated, causing pain. Numerous other welfare concerns were witnessed including untreated fungal infections, fin erosion and injuries. Fish were commonly made to live in dirty, crowded and barren environments.
Up to 1.2 billion fish of various species are reared in similar farms annually across the EU, with trout the most commonly farmed fish in the EU.
The NGO said the distressing conditions revealed in this investigation are not isolated. Despite growing recognition of fish sentience and the need for improved animal welfare standards, a critical gap in EU legislation and elsewhere in the world, leaves fish without adequate protection.
In 2020, the European Commission committed to revising animal welfare legislation – including transport and slaughter practices – to align with the latest scientific evidence on fish sentience. Despite these promises, the NGO said that the Commission has failed to publish new animal welfare legislation proposals.
The Rethink Fish campaign is urging the EU to introduce legislation to protect fish as part of the animal welfare legislation revision. Read more about the campaign
