As insect farming scales up and new questions about insect sentience emerge, research priorities for insect welfare are rapidly crystallising into a coherent scientific agenda.
Insect welfare research is at an inflection point where growing scientific evidence of potential sentience intersects with the explosive growth of insect farming. The scale of insects farmed means even small probabilities of suffering translate into enormous welfare significance. Priority research areas include: nociceptor identification across insect species, pain-like response characterisation, species and life-stage sensitivity differences, welfare-relevant indicators during farming and processing, and humane killing methods. Regulatory frameworks in the UK, EU, and elsewhere are beginning to grapple with insect welfare, and research outputs will critically inform appropriate standards. The precautionary principle suggests implementing basic welfare safeguards now, even while evidence accumulates.