Insect farming for food and animal feed is expanding rapidly, raising questions about sentience, welfare, and humane management at a scale involving trillions of animals.
Insect farming presents a profound welfare uncertainty: if insects are sentient, the scale of potential suffering - trillions of animals in conditions that may or may not be welfare-relevant - dwarfs any other category of farmed animal. The precautionary principle argues for research investment in insect welfare, development of humane management standards, and caution about scaling production faster than our ethical understanding can keep pace.