The silk industry requires the deaths of billions of silkworm pupae annually, with growing questions about whether these animals experience suffering during the killing process.
Silkworm welfare sits at the frontier of invertebrate sentience research. The neural complexity of Lepidoptera pupae is modest, but the evidence for insect nociception has grown significantly. The scale of silkworm killing — billions annually — means that if any level of negative experience is present, the aggregate welfare impact could be substantial. The precautionary principle and the availability of alternatives provide a reasonable basis for welfare-motivated consumer choices.