How welfare considerations are being integrated into the rapidly growing insect farming industry and what evidence-based standards might look like.
Insect farming sits at the frontier of animal welfare science. The scale is enormous — potentially trillions of animals — and the welfare stakes correspondingly high if insects experience meaningful suffering. The evidence for insect sentience remains debated, but the precautionary argument for welfare-conscious practices is strong. The cost of implementing better welfare standards in insect farming is low relative to the potential benefit if insects do have morally relevant experiences. Industry standards should reflect current uncertainty by adopting conservative practices while funding research to resolve the scientific questions.