Farmed Insect Welfare: Emerging Considerations at Scale

Insect farming is growing rapidly as a sustainable protein source, raising novel welfare questions about invertebrate sentience and care.

Key Facts

Global insect farming produces over one million tonnes of protein annually and is growing rapidly
Black soldier fly, mealworms, crickets, and locusts are the most commonly farmed species
Evidence for insect pain experience is contested but some species show avoidance behaviour to noxious stimuli
The UK and several other countries now include some insects under animal welfare consideration
Farming conditions including density, temperature, humidity, and substrate affect insect health and survival
Slaughter methods range from cold stunning and freezing to boiling — welfare implications are uncertain

Welfare Considerations

Insect welfare sits at the frontier of welfare science. The evidence for insect sentience and pain experience is weaker than for vertebrates, but it is not zero — and the scale of insect farming means that even small per-individual welfare improvements have enormous aggregate impact. Uncertainty about insect sentience is not a reason to ignore welfare considerations, but a reason to apply a precautionary approach. Temperature, density, substrate quality, and slaughter method all have measurable effects on insect behaviour and survival. Welfare-positive insect farming invests in understanding species-specific needs and applying best available practices rather than assuming welfare is irrelevant.

What You Can Do

Support research into insect sentience and welfare that informs evidence-based standards
Choose insect protein products from producers with transparent welfare practices
Advocate for welfare standards to be developed for commercially farmed insect species
Learn about the differences between insect species in terms of welfare evidence
Consider insect protein as a lower-welfare-impact alternative to conventional meat