How I Secured a Bill Introduction to Ban Octopus Factory Farming in the North Carolina

My Background

I first began working on legislative advocacy in high school, when the Healthy Future Students and Earth Pilot Program Act of 2021 was introduced in the House by Representatives Nydia M. Velázquez and Jamaal Bowman. As a student passionate about creating a more sustainable food system, I was thrilled at the possibility of a Congressional program to increase plant-based options in schools. I worked with Friends of the Earth to  meet with legislators and secure cosponsorship for the bill from representatives Adam Schiff and Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez. This felt like a breakthrough moment; however, I soon learned that getting a bill cosponsored is just the beginning of the long process toward passing it into legislation.

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The Octopus Farming Ban Bill

In my current position as a fellow with New Roots Institute, I’m continuing my work on legislative advocacy by promoting a bill to ban octopus farming in North Carolina. Spearheaded by the Animal Rights Initiative, this legislative campaign is motivated by a Spanish seafood company’s plan for a new octopus aquaculture project and the large-scale potential threat of octopus farming spreading to the United States. This new kind of aquaculture would have numerous incredibly harmful impacts: the introduction of a new species in a concentrated farm environment could disrupt ecosystems by decimating crab populations, polluting local water sources, and spreading new disease variants to native octopus species.

The Octopus Farming Ban Bill seeks to prevent that threat by preemptively outlawing octopus aquaculture. This bill is already seeing success: it passed with widespread bipartisan support in both Washington and California and has had a bipartisan introduction on the federal level, as well as in Hawaii, and in New Jersey. Since North Carolina has a massive coastline, it was clear to ARI that the state was the next top priority for this legislation. That’s where I came in.

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My Process

I served as the primary legislative correspondent for Animal Rights Initiative's North Carolina legislative campaign. Here’s what that process looked like:

1. Research: I began by gathering evidence on North Carolina’s marine ecosystems, focusing on issues that would resonate with legislators. I researched the fiscal impact of water cleanup, local crustacean populations, recent Harmful Algal Blooms in the area, fishing advisories, and beach closures. Using this information, I  created a unique fact sheet that explained how octopus farming would exacerbate existing issues and negatively impact each Congressional district.

2. Legislator outreach: I looked through previous legislation that had been introduced and noted which legislators sponsored or cosponsored previous bills related to the environment and marine life. I reached out to these legislators and their legislative assistants via email, thanking them for their support of environmental issues, briefly outlining the issue of octopus farming, and asking for a brief 15 minute meeting. I tailored each email based on the legislator’s interests. For example, I focused my pitch on state spending and small businesses when reaching out to Republican representatives as these are issues I know they tend to care about.

3. Legislator meetings: Working with Amanda Fox of the Animal Rights Initiative, I coordinated with legislators and/or their assistants to find time to meet. This was tedious at times—representatives are very busy people—so flexibility, patience, and persistence were key! In these meetings, we explained the threat of Octopus Farming, the potential legislative solution, and the success of similar bills in other states. It was super insightful to learn from these meetings—I observed how Amanda clearly and concisely explained why the legislation is important and was able to respond to legislators’ questions.

4. Securing a primary sponsor: Representative Pricey Harrison, who was the first legislator we met with, was enthusiastic about aquamarine issues and animal rights and excitedly offered to sponsor the bill! We were very lucky to find the perfect fit so soon, but I’d recommend reaching out to every legislator with a track record of supporting environmental conservation and animal rights policy. By contacting someone who has already proven to be in favor of these kinds of policies, you’re more likely to be able to connect to them on an issue they already value.

5. Email follow-ups: Once we secured our primary sponsor, I followed up with all of the legislators I had reached out to and scheduled more meetings to discuss potential cosponsorship. I also reached out to new legislators who were recommended by the  Representative to ensure bipartisan support for the bill. In total, I had about 10 meetings and corresponded with around 70 legislators via email. The bill ended up getting cosponsored by seven of them!

6. Further outreach: After the bill was referred to the Committee on Agriculture and Environment, I contacted each member of the committee. I emailed them, urging them to bring the bill to a hearing and sharing links to specific pieces of scientific evidence supporting the bill.

Currently, the bill has not had a hearing yet, but I will remain persistent with my outreach and follow-ups until then since I know how important this bill would be. In setting a necessary precedent in terms of regulating factory farming as well as preventing the further growth of aquaculture via octopus farming, this bill is a step toward a more sustainable future..

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Key Takeaways

This campaign has definitively shown me the value of persistence. When my first round of emails only received one response, I worried that no one cared about the issue and that I was wasting my time working so hard on it. But, with each round of follow-ups, I got more and more responses and eventually was able to reach dozens of legislators. Determined and repeated outreach is crucial in reaching legislators whose inboxes are undoubtedly flooded every day, as is a tailored approach that speaks to the representatives’ priorities.

This is not to say that consistent outreach is foolproof: unfortunately, the nature of food system-related issues lends itself to a lack of urgency from legislators. Especially in today’s highly polarized political landscape, representatives’ time-sensitive constituent concerns and economic issues take priority over the bills we are advocating for. It can be frustrating to put in hours of hard work for issues that remain on the back burner for most legislators. It’s similarly frustrating to constantly push for incremental change in the food system when much larger change is needed. As activists, it’s important to not get discouraged by these frustrations and to take time for self-care to avoid burnout. I also personally deal with issues related to advocacy by looking at the positives and focusing on my wins—no matter how small they may seem.

That being said, the power of legislation is not to be understated. Laws fundamentally shape the food system and, the more people advocating for systemic change, the more likely we are to create meaningful change. Difficult as it may be, legislative advocacy is vital to creating a more sustainable future.

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