Snail farming, or heliciculture, is growing globally as demand for escargot and snail products rises, raising underexplored questions about mollusc welfare and humane management practices.
Snail welfare sits in a particularly uncertain scientific territory. While snails lack a vertebrate-type nervous system, they do show avoidance learning and wound-induced changes in behaviour consistent with nociception. Welfare concerns in heliciculture include overcrowding, moisture stress (snails aestivate under drought stress, which intensive systems may force), handling stress during collection, and slaughter methods. The most common killing practice - boiling or hot water immersion - may cause a prolonged aversive experience. Given the precautionary principle, attention to snail welfare is warranted even as research continues.