Insect farming is rapidly expanding as a sustainable protein source, but raises unprecedented welfare questions given the scale of production and uncertainty about insect sentience.
If insects are sentient at even low probability, insect farming welfare matters enormously at scale given the trillions of individuals involved. Chilling before killing is likely more humane than shredding or scalding. High stocking densities cause injury through cannibalism. Starving insects before harvest to clear gut contents causes prolonged distress if they can suffer. The precautionary welfare argument is that risk-adjusted welfare improvements should be adopted even under uncertainty.