The rapidly growing edible insect farming industry raises welfare questions about density, temperature, and killing methods for billions of individuals whose capacity for suffering is scientifically uncertain.
The welfare status of farmed insects is genuinely uncertain, with scientific debate ongoing about the degree to which different insect species have subjective experiences. The precautionary principle suggests that given the enormous scale of insect farming — billions of individuals — and the genuine possibility of some capacity for aversive states, developing minimum welfare standards for killing methods and density management is warranted. Insect welfare science is an emerging field with significant practical implications.