As insect farming expands globally for food and feed, questions about insect welfare have shifted from philosophical to practical.
Insect welfare sits at the frontier of animal welfare science. The probability of sentience varies by species — with some insects showing more pain-relevant neural architecture than others — but the sheer scale of insect farming means even a small probability of sentience creates a substantial welfare obligation. Current industry practice gives little attention to welfare beyond productivity. Research into welfare indicators (movement, abnormal behaviour, stress pheromones) is nascent but growing. The precautionary approach — reducing unnecessary suffering even under uncertainty — seems appropriate.