Insect Welfare in Mass Rearing: Emerging Questions and Approaches

The rapid growth of insect farming for food and feed raises novel welfare questions about the capacity of insects to suffer and how mass rearing systems should be designed.

Key Facts

Global insect production for food and feed is growing rapidly, with production estimated at millions of tonnes annually
Black soldier fly (Hermetia illucens) is the dominant species in feed insect production, with billions raised in optimal conditions
Insects have nociceptors and show protective responses to noxious stimuli, though whether they experience pain consciousness remains uncertain
High temperatures, overcrowding, and nutrient deficiency are potential welfare concerns in industrial insect rearing
The scale of insect production means even small probabilities of meaningful sentience translate to enormous welfare implications
Academic and industry interest in insect welfare standards is growing, with some producers investing in welfare research

Welfare Considerations

Insect welfare sits at the frontier of moral uncertainty — the probability that insects experience meaningful suffering is genuinely unknown and hotly debated among scientists and philosophers. A welfare-precautionary approach proportional to the probability of sentience would apply different levels of consideration than to clearly sentient vertebrates, while still taking the question seriously given the enormous numbers involved. Insect rearing systems can be designed to provide appropriate temperature, nutrition, and density without significant cost, providing modest assurance against welfare harm if insects prove to have meaningful experiences. The field of insect welfare is developing rapidly, and producers who invest in welfare research now will be better positioned to implement evidence-based improvements as scientific understanding advances.

What You Can Do

Support research on insect sentience and welfare to reduce uncertainty in welfare decision-making
Choose insect-derived products from producers who engage with welfare questions and invest in welfare research
Apply precautionary approaches in your own views — acknowledge genuine uncertainty rather than dismissing insect welfare
Advocate for welfare considerations to be included in insect production certification standards as they develop
Engage with the growing literature on invertebrate sentience to develop informed views on these complex questions