As insect farming scales globally to meet protein demand, questions about insect sentience and the welfare of billions of farmed insects require careful scientific and ethical consideration.
Insect farming occupies a uniquely uncertain ethical position in animal welfare. On one hand, insects have much smaller environmental footprints than conventional livestock and are promoted as a sustainable protein source. On the other hand, the scale of insect farming — potentially trillions of individuals — means that even a small probability of morally relevant suffering becomes significant in aggregate. Scientific evidence on insect sentience is genuinely uncertain, with some evidence for nociception but less clarity on subjective experience. The precautionary principle suggests taking reasonable steps to minimise potential suffering even under uncertainty, including developing and adopting killing methods that minimise potential pain and providing appropriate environmental conditions. This field of welfare science is rapidly developing and requires serious attention.