ZAGREB, July 4, 2020 - The Animal Friends Croatia NGO appealed to retail chains on Saturday to stop selling live seafood.
"We are talking about the biggest supermarkets in Croatia which we have asked several times to stop selling live animals because, aside from the inhumane conditions in which they are kept and which only prolong the suffering of already tortured animals, we are receiving calls from outraged, frantic customers who have decided to boycott shopping in such stores," the NGO said.
It called on retail chains and supermarkets to include live seafood in their business ethics and to show, "despite legal shortcomings", that they understand and acknowledge the need to protect animals by not allowing the sale of live ones in their stores.
"In that way, they are directly helping animals and, by rejecting any possibility that animals are kept, tortured, or killed in their stores now or in future, additionally building their company reputation."
Animal Friends Croatia is conducting the "Respect Our Sea" campaign with the Eurogroup for Animals, aimed at educating the public about the problem of breeding, keeping, selling and catching fish.
Although keeping live animals for human consumption is not explicitly regulated by Croatian law, retail chains and shops may decide whether to offer them on a daily basis or join the campaign.
