As insect farming grows as a protein source, the welfare implications of farming at scale and the scientific uncertainty around insect sentience.
Insect farming scales the welfare question to magnitudes unlike anything in conventional animal agriculture. At a trillion animals per year, even a small probability of meaningful insect suffering multiplied by the number of individuals involved creates a potentially enormous moral consideration. The precautionary case for basic insect welfare standards — appropriate temperature, humidity, density, and stunting protocols — is strong precisely because these are cheap, technically feasible measures that could substantially reduce suffering if insects do experience anything, while costing little if they do not. This is an area where welfare science is genuinely racing to catch up with commercial practice.