Welfare of farmed insects

Abstract

The recent interest in using insects as food and feed is based on their capacity to be a sustainable alternative to other protein sources. When farmed as mini livestock, the question is raised as to whether they are ‘sentient beings’ (self-conscious)? In researching this topic, the problem is that humans often expect animals to have the same subjective experience as we do (anthropomorphic) and consider themselves as the centre of the universe (anthropocentric). We discuss insects’ sentience by looking at their brain, behaviour, and communicative abilities. The miniature brains of insects seem to be arranged in a very efficient functional way due to their very long evolutionary history. As for their behaviour, insects are capable of social and associative learning. Even dopamine, a neurotransmitter involved in reward and pleasure, plays a role. Human communication is mainly verbal, while for insects other means of information exchange are more important, such as tactile, chemical, visual, and vibrational. The distinction needs to be made between nociception and pain, the latter being an emotional experience. It is difficult to prove that insects can experience pain, although they have a large repertoire of withdrawal and defensive behavioural responses. The philosophical attitudes deal with how we view insects and their relations to humans. This also determines the ethical attitude and how we should treat them. Are they just there for our benefit or do we consider them as co-animals? Insects as food requires that many insects must be killed. However, the number killed may not be different when one chooses a plant-based diet. It is concluded that insects should be farmed and killed using the precautionary principle, which assumes that they can experience pain. To discuss the consequences for the industry sector that produces insects for food and feed, we used Brambell’s five freedoms as a framework.

Insects and Public Health: An Overview

“…Recent studies on pain perception [ 70 ], cognitive abilities [ 71 ], and pessimistic bias [ 72 ] have identified a variety of sophisticated responses in insects. Therefore, in his recent review, van Huis has suggested considering them “precautionary as sentient beings” [ 73 ]. On the other hand, there is limited information on practical welfare requirements for farmed insects, which might differ from vertebrates due to the considerable evolutionary distance and variability between species [ 69 ].…”

“…Different killing methods have recently been described, such as hot water, boiling vapor, freezing, and mincing [ 75 ]. Finally, insect farmers and veterinary authorities should be kept abreast of the latest science regarding the possible experiences of fear and distress in different species, and further research on this is needed [ 69 , 73 ].…”

Development of sustainable business models for insect-fed poultry production: opportunities and risks

“…Finally, insects engage in social and sexual interactions, and may have specific requirements for these behaviours, such as particular light conditions. Surprisingly little is known about how to assess welfare of insects, in particular under mass-rearing conditions, and which parameters should be measured to assess their welfare (Van Huis, 2020b). Optimisation of mass-rearing conditions that safeguard insect health, welfare and quality requires a comprehensive assessment of various indicators, such as behaviour, longevity, disease or immune activation, productivity and physiology.…”

Advancing edible insects as food and feed in a circular economy

“…Animal welfare is a critical issue for the insects as food and feed sector (Van Huis, 2021). The central question in this debate is whether insects are 'sentient beings' .…”