As insect farming scales for food and feed, developing evidence-based welfare standards for the most commonly farmed species is becoming an urgent scientific and policy priority.
Insect farming welfare standard development is one of the most urgent areas in animal welfare science because the sector is growing rapidly and the window for embedding welfare standards early in industry development is closing. Once industrial infrastructure is established around particular practices, retrofitting welfare improvements becomes much harder. The Insect Welfare Research Society is leading research into which welfare parameters matter most for the three main commercial species, while industry groups are developing voluntary codes of practice. Key areas include stocking density — which affects feeding competition and stress — temperature and humidity management, light cycles that respect circadian rhythms, and slaughter methods that minimise potential suffering. The uncertainty about insect sentience means standards must be designed to protect welfare under the precautionary principle while remaining practically implementable.