Insect farming is promoted as a sustainable protein source, but the welfare of the billions of insects farmed annually is a growing ethical question.
The welfare question for farmed insects turns on sentience probability. While insects have far smaller nervous systems than vertebrates, they show nociceptive responses and some species display learning. The sheer scale of insect farming — trillions of animals annually — means even a low probability of morally relevant experience multiplies to potentially enormous total harm. Precautionary welfare improvements including optimal temperature ranges and humane slaughter methods should be adopted.