Research into invertebrate welfare is expanding the moral circle to include insects, crustaceans, cephalopods, and other species previously excluded from welfare consideration.
Invertebrate welfare is the fastest-growing frontier in animal welfare science. The historical exclusion of invertebrates from welfare consideration was based on assumptions about their neural simplicity that are increasingly being revised by research. Bees showing pessimistic cognitive bias, octopuses engaging in play, and decapod crustaceans responding to analgesics all point toward more complex experiential capacities than previously assumed. The welfare implications are enormous given the scale of invertebrate use. The precautionary principle suggests that where evidence of sentience exists, welfare consideration should follow — even under uncertainty.