Research into invertebrate cognition and pain is challenging the assumption that only vertebrates warrant welfare consideration. This frontier has significant implications for how we treat billions of insects and other invertebrates.
The welfare implications of invertebrate sentience research are enormous given the number of invertebrates used in food, research, and pest control. If insects, crustaceans, and cephalopods experience something like pain or suffering, the scale of potential welfare harm in existing practices — from boiling lobsters alive to crop pest control — is vast. The precautionary principle supports treating animals as capable of suffering when evidence is uncertain but significant. Supporting research in this area and advocating for precautionary welfare consideration for invertebrates could have very large impact per unit of advocacy effort.