The booming farmed insect industry produces billions of insects for food and feed in conditions whose welfare implications remain poorly understood.
Farmed insect welfare sits at the frontier of animal welfare science. While the probability that individual insects experience suffering comparable to vertebrates appears low based on current neuroscience, the extraordinary scale of production — billions of animals per facility — means even a small probability of morally significant experience multiplies to large potential harm. The precautionary principle supports investment in research and in slaughter methods that minimize potential suffering while the science develops.