Black soldier flies and blowflies are increasingly reared in mass quantities for protein feed, raising questions about welfare at scale.
Flies reared for protein are killed by methods including scalding and freezing that may cause distress if flies have any capacity for welfare-relevant experience. The scale of production — billions of individuals — means that even marginal per-individual suffering could be significant in aggregate. While scientific consensus on fly sentience remains uncertain, the precautionary principle warrants attention to killing methods.