What current science says about insect sentience and welfare, and how the rapidly growing insect farming industry should respond to uncertainty.
Insect farming is expanding rapidly as a lower-carbon alternative to conventional animal protein, but the welfare dimension of this transition is often overlooked. The philosophical and scientific questions surrounding insect sentience remain genuinely uncertain, but the precautionary principle — given the enormous numbers of individuals involved — argues for investigating and implementing welfare improvements. Density management, temperature optimization, provision of appropriate substrate and shelter, and development of more humane slaughter methods are all worthwhile improvements even under uncertainty. The insect farming industry has an opportunity to establish welfare standards from the outset rather than retrofitting them after poor practices become entrenched, as has happened with other farmed animal industries.