Welfare Science

Insect Welfare Science and Farming Standards

The rapid growth of insect farming for food and feed has outpaced welfare science, with growing research into insect sentience and emerging attempts to establish welfare standards for farmed insects.

Key Facts

Global insect farming industry is projected to reach billions in value within years
Common species farmed include black soldier fly, mealworm, house fly and crickets
Evidence for insect sentience is inconclusive but precautionary approaches are advocated
Welfare standards are absent or minimal in most insect farming operations globally
Research on insect pain, stress responses, and positive states is in early stages

Welfare Considerations

Insect welfare is a genuinely uncertain area where the precautionary principle argues for taking welfare seriously. The scale of insect farming - potentially involving trillions of individual animals - means even small probabilities of sentience multiply to significant welfare relevance.

What You Can Do

Support insect welfare research organisations including the Insect Welfare Research Society
Engage with the insect farming industry's emerging welfare standards development
Approach insect welfare with appropriate uncertainty and openness to evidence