Insects represent the vast majority of animal species and their potential for suffering raises welfare questions that are only beginning to be addressed by science and policy.
The welfare status of insects is profoundly uncertain but the scale of potential suffering demands serious attention. If insects have any capacity for suffering, the numbers involved in agriculture, pest control and habitat destruction dwarf the welfare impacts of all vertebrate animal use combined. The scientific evidence for insect nociception is growing, though consciousness remains debated. The precautionary principle suggests that where uncertainty exists at this scale, serious consideration of insect welfare is warranted. Insect farming for food and feed is expanding rapidly without any welfare standards in place.