Cricket farming produces millions of animals for food and feed. Managing temperature, feed, and density precautionarily improves outcomes under welfare uncertainty.
Cricket farming welfare management is warranted under the precautionary principle even with uncertain sentience evidence. Crickets show nociceptive responses to damage and avoid aversive stimuli, suggesting some form of functional pain response. Management practices that minimize potential suffering — appropriate densities that reduce aggression and cannibalism, optimal temperature maintenance, nutritionally complete feed — also tend to improve production outcomes. Humane slaughter using rapid freezing or CO2 is now recommended by some welfare guidelines. As the industry scales, developing welfare standards proportional to the level of evidence for sentience is the responsible approach.