Black soldier fly and mealworm farming for aquaculture feed is growing rapidly with welfare questions about insect sentience requiring attention.
Insect farming welfare is an emerging field because the scale of production (trillions of individuals) means that even small improvements in welfare conditions for beings with uncertain sentience could be morally significant. The precautionary principle suggests avoiding production conditions that would clearly cause distress if insects are sentient: overcrowding, inadequate food, harsh slaughter conditions. Research into insect welfare is in its infancy but is receiving growing attention from welfare scientists. The farming of insects for fish feed creates a welfare connection between aquaculture feed and insect welfare that grows as fishmeal replacement with insect protein accelerates.