“It just shows you the low value that we put on other living beings in our world around us. I don’t think you can even buy a chocolate bar for 36p.”
Morrisons has been criticized for selling octopuses for just 36p after a charity worker posted an image of one of the creatures stacked on a special shelf for discounted food.
Justin Webb, 41, a charity worker and vegan, took the image in the reduced to clear section of a Morrisons store in Eccles, near Manchester.
Horrified and pained at the prospect of the magnificent creatures being dumped in the trashbin, he snapped the image and posted it on Twitter along with an impassioned rant as a caption.
“36 pence for a dead baby octopus, one of the most amazing creatures to ever swim the seas. I swear we do not deserve this world,” he wrote.
36 pence for a dead baby octopus, one of the most amazing creatures to ever swim the seas.
— Justin Wookey Webb (@RainbowWookey) August 3, 2021
I swear we do not deserve this world. 😢 pic.twitter.com/ln0yjeQcpv
The octopus, which was mistaken to be a baby, was in fact a mature specimen from a small species.
“We should be angry,” he continued.
“The poor thing was priced at £1.41 to start with, which is offensive in the extreme for a living wild creature, to then see it marked down adds insult to injury.
“It shows the human disregard for life.
“We’ve moved her from her home to the rubbish bin. It’s unforgivable.
“These are beautiful, sentient creatures and you wouldn’t do that to dogs or cats.”
Fury
The tweet has sparked outrage as it shows what ‘little value humans put on the creatures’.
One user wrote: “Awful. They are intelligent creatures. My daughter is a marine scientist and has worked with octopi.
“They recognise faces, interact and are very clever. They should not be eaten.”
Another added: “Awful, isn’t it? They are as intelligent as cats & dogs, playful, inventive. We humans just plunder, exploit, destroy, eat what we don’t need. Sad world.”
The Conservative Animal Welfare Foundation, which is campaigning for octopuses and lobsters to be recognised as sentient creatures, and subject to the Animal Sentience Bill also condemned the supermarket.
Lorraine Platt is the charity’s co-founder. She told The Times: “It just shows you the low value that we put on other living beings in our world around us. I don’t think you can even buy a chocolate bar for 36p.
“Octopuses are highly intelligent, sentient animals that roam the seas and this image is heartbreaking. It really tugs at the heartstrings to see it shrink-wrapped. It’s pitifully sad and grim.”
According to Morrisons, stocks are managed to customer demands and prices are reduced “only occasionally and as a last resort to ensure that food that is fit for consumption is not wasted”.
Share this story: Morrisons selling octopus for just 36p in UK store sparks outrage.
Lifestyle
Vegan culture, food, beauty & more
75% of Brits prefer vegan cars, says new study
- Mohsina Dodhiya
- 17th May 2022
A number of companies already offer a variety of plant-based leathers using everything from apples and cactus to pineapple leaves. A new poll has revealed that a majority of UK motorists are keen on buying fully vegan cars. In a research commissioned by the Vegan Society, people were asked about their opinions on vegan cars …
Continue reading “75% of Brits prefer vegan cars, says new study”
Three critically endangered Sumatran tigers die caught in animal traps
- Mohsina Dodhiya
- 25th April 2022
It is estimated that fewer than 400 Sumatran tigers remain in the wild. Three critically endangered Sumatran tigers have died after being caught in traps on Indonesia’s Sumatra island. This is the latest blow for a species whose numbers are estimated to have dropped to about several hundreds. Local authorities found two of the dead …
Continue reading “Three critically endangered Sumatran tigers die caught in animal traps”
VEGAN MEMES
NEED A LAUGH?
QUIZZES
All the quizzes you love to binge!
QUIZ: If you score 11/12 on this quiz, you’re a verified vegan food expert
- Marlon Farrugia
- 10th January 2020
How much vegan knowledge do you have stored away? Do you have to Google your way through a shopping trip, or do you have all the bad E-numbers memorised? Find out now with this quiz. Marlon Farrugia Marlon Farrugia is a freelance writer from Brighton. He has been a dedicated vegan for many years, and …
Continue reading “QUIZ: If you score 11/12 on this quiz, you’re a verified vegan food expert”
QUIZ: What is your perfect Vegan Halloween Costume?
- Marlon Farrugia
- 13th October 2019
Spook Season approaches. There will be ghosts, goblins, ghouls, and glucose. You need a costume, and you want to it to show off your personality, which means VEGAN. But what to choose? Take our quiz to find out your perfect outfit. Marlon Farrugia Marlon Farrugia is a freelance writer from Brighton. He has been a …
Continue reading “QUIZ: What is your perfect Vegan Halloween Costume?”
QUIZ: What kind of vegetable are you?
- Marlon Farrugia
- 26th September 2019
“If you were a vegetable, what kind would you be?” A question that has tormented humanity throughout the ages – until now. Read: QUIZ: If you score 19/20 on THIS quiz, you’re a Vegan God Marlon Farrugia Marlon Farrugia is a freelance writer from Brighton. He has been a dedicated vegan for many years, and …