Insect farming is growing as a sustainable protein source. The welfare of billions of farmed insects is a frontier question in animal ethics.
The precautionary principle suggests insect welfare deserves attention even under uncertainty about sentience. Overcrowding, poor nutrition, temperature extremes, and rough handling are common welfare risks in industrial insect farming. Killing methods include freezing, hot water, or shredding - their humaneness is contested. Compared to vertebrate farmed animals, even small improvements in welfare standards applied to billions of insects could have enormous aggregate impact if insects can suffer. The Welfare of Insects: Evidence review by the Animal Welfare Committee is a key reference.