Insect farming is growing rapidly as a sustainable protein source, but the welfare status of farmed insects and appropriate standards for their care remain unresolved.
The welfare implications of insect farming are contested. Insects lack the neural architecture associated with vertebrate consciousness, but they do possess nociceptors and exhibit defensive behaviors in response to noxious stimuli. The scale of insect farming is enormous, with billions of animals per facility, making even small probabilities of suffering relevant from a welfare perspective. Research into insect sentience and best practice slaughter methods is urgently needed.