Insect farming for protein is expanding rapidly as a sustainable protein alternative, but the welfare implications of farming billions of insects at industrial scale under uncertain sentience conditions require careful consideration.
The combination of scale — potentially trillions of individuals in global insect farming — and uncertain but non-negligible probability of sentience creates a welfare risk that deserves proportionate attention. Even if the probability of individual insect suffering is low, the arithmetic of scale means total expected suffering could be substantial. Current farming and processing practices have not been designed with welfare in mind because the question was not asked. The welfare community is beginning to address this through research into stunning methods, welfare indicators, and housing standards for farmed insects.