Insects are used in millions of research experiments. Their potential for pain experience and welfare requirements are increasingly recognised in scientific debate.
Insect welfare in research is at an early stage of development. The evidence for insect sentience is suggestive but not conclusive. The precautionary principle suggests that when uncertainty is genuine, some welfare consideration is warranted. Practical precautionary measures include rapid freezing as a humane endpoint, avoiding unnecessary procedures, and minimising numbers through experimental design improvements. If insects are confirmed to have even minimal sentience, the welfare implications are enormous given the scale of their use in research and agriculture. This makes investing in insect sentience research extremely high value.