Insect farming is growing rapidly as a sustainable protein source, but the welfare of the billions of insects farmed remains poorly understood and largely unregulated.
The welfare significance of insect farming depends on unresolved questions about insect sentience and capacity for suffering. Current evidence suggests some insects have nociceptors and modify behaviour in response to potentially harmful stimuli, but whether this constitutes subjective suffering remains uncertain. Given the scale of numbers involved, even a small probability of insect suffering represents a significant welfare concern. The precautionary principle argues for developing welfare standards for insect farming while the science advances.