Insect farming is growing as a sustainable protein source but raises welfare questions about animals that may experience pain.
Insect welfare is an emerging ethical frontier. Evidence of pain-like responses in insects suggests that the billions farmed annually may experience suffering. High density farming of insects likely causes stress even if the nature of that stress is uncertain. Slaughter methods including freezing and boiling are not designed with welfare in mind. The welfare of insect prey species in human food chains has been essentially ignored but warrants consideration given growing evidence of insect sentience.