Welfare Science

Farmed Insect Welfare Standards Progress

The rapid growth of insect farming raises welfare questions about billions of animals whose sentience and pain capacity is scientifically uncertain.

Key Facts

Insect farming produces millions of tonnes of protein annually from species including BSFL and crickets
UK Defra commissioned a welfare review of farmed insects published in 2021
The review found insufficient evidence to definitively conclude insects are or are not sentient
Precautionary standards addressing slaughter and density are being developed
Consumer acceptance of insect protein depends partly on welfare assurance

Welfare Considerations

The scale of insect farming means that even small individual welfare impacts could have enormous aggregate significance if insects experience suffering. Precautionary welfare standards developed under uncertainty represent a prudent approach.

What You Can Do

Support research programmes investigating insect sentience and pain capacity
Advocate for precautionary welfare standards for commercially farmed insect species
Engage with insect farming welfare frameworks and policy development as an interested stakeholder