Insect farming is growing rapidly as a sustainable protein source, but welfare questions about billions of insects raised in intensive conditions remain largely unanswered.
Insect welfare represents the frontier of animal ethics. The scale of insect farming means even a small probability of sentience translates to enormous potential suffering across trillions of animals. The scientific community is divided, but the precautionary principle and the scale of production argue for taking welfare research seriously and developing standards proportionate to the probability of sentience.