Soil invertebrates including earthworms, nematodes, and springtails form the foundation of terrestrial ecosystems, with emerging research suggesting their welfare may be more morally relevant than assumed.
Earthworm welfare sits at the philosophical frontier of animal ethics. They lack a centralized nervous system capable of vertebrate consciousness, but show basic nociception and produce analgesic compounds suggesting pain modulation. The precautionary principle gives some weight to earthworm welfare, but the more compelling argument is ecological: protecting earthworm populations protects the entire soil ecosystem that supports all terrestrial food production. Practices that kill earthworms — deep cultivation, pesticide use, compaction — are also agronomically damaging. Regenerative agriculture practices that protect soil life simultaneously serve ecological, agronomic, and precautionary welfare goals.