Do our insects have
a welfare interest?
We don’t know for certain. Nobody does. But that’s not a reason to dismiss the question — it’s a reason to take it seriously. Here is what the science currently says, and what we do about it in practice.
What do we actually know about insect sentience?
The honest answer is: less than we’d like, and more than was assumed a decade ago. For most of the 20th century, the scientific consensus held that insects were purely reflexive — responding to stimuli without any capacity for subjective experience. That view is increasingly challenged by emerging evidence.
A 2022 review published in Advances in Insect Physiology assessed six insect orders against eight scientific criteria for sentience — nociception, higher-order brain processing, behavioural flexibility, learned avoidance, and others. Diptera (the order that includes flies, and to which black soldier flies belong) showed evidence meeting several of these criteria. The researchers concluded that insect pain is “plausible and deserves further study.”
Critically, the question is genuinely open. There is no scientific consensus that black soldier fly larvae — which are the animals we farm — experience pain or subjective suffering. BSFL are larvae, and the evidence base for larval insect sentience is substantially less developed than for adult insects. But the precautionary principle applies: absence of evidence is not evidence of absence.
Why we take it seriously anyway
Our position is simple. We do not know whether our larvae have meaningful welfare interests. But that uncertainty is itself a reason to act with care, not a reason to proceed as though the answer is definitely no.
This is the same precautionary reasoning that led to legal protections for decapod crustaceans (lobsters, crabs) in the UK Animal Welfare (Sentience) Act 2022 — based not on certainty of sentience but on plausibility. The scientific community is increasingly applying the same logic to insects.
We are a small farm. We do not have the resources of a large industrial insect producer. But we do have direct control over every stage of our operation, which means we can make deliberate choices about how our larvae are raised, fed, housed and harvested — and we do.
BSF larval sentience — state of evidence
BSF and related Diptera possess nociceptive neurons. Whether these produce subjective pain in larvae is unknown.
Adult Diptera show integration of nociceptive signals in higher brain regions. Evidence in larvae is limited.
BSFL show food-seeking, avoidance, and burrowing behaviours that suggest some capacity for adaptive response.
Some Diptera appear able to modulate responses to noxious stimuli via endogenous chemicals. BSFL-specific data is sparse.
Some adult insect species show evidence of pessimistic/optimistic cognitive bias. No equivalent data for BSFL larvae.
Not enough evidence to confirm or rule out meaningful welfare interests in BSFL larvae. Precautionary care is warranted.
Evidence assessed against the Birch et al. (2021) sentience framework. Sources: Gibbons et al. (2022), Advances in Insect Physiology; Insect Welfare Research Society (2023); Barrett & Fischer (2024).
Six things we actually do
on our farm in Staffordshire.
We don’t claim to have solved insect welfare. We claim to take it seriously enough to make deliberate choices at every stage — from what we feed our larvae to how we harvest them.
High-quality, consistent substrate
Our larvae are fed UK surplus food and spent grain — a consistent, nutritious substrate. A well-fed larva in a stable food environment is, by any reasonable measure, in better condition than one in an inconsistent or nutrient-poor environment.
Controlled temperature and humidity
Our grow rooms are maintained at optimal temperature and humidity for BSF larval development. We do not expose larvae to temperature extremes during the growth phase. Thermal stress is one of the clearest potential welfare concerns, and we manage it directly.
Appropriate stocking density
BSF larvae naturally aggregate and tolerate high density better than many other insects — it reflects their natural behaviour. We manage our rearing density to remain within ranges associated with healthy development and normal growth rates.
Rapid harvest methods
When larvae reach maturity, we use rapid harvest methods designed to minimise the duration of any potentially aversive experience. We do not use slow or prolonged processes that would be inconsistent with a welfare-conscious approach.
Following the science
We monitor the emerging insect welfare literature. As the evidence develops, our practices will develop with it. We do not treat our current approach as a fixed answer — we treat it as our best current effort, subject to revision.
Genuine purpose for every larva
Every larva we raise either feeds a backyard chicken or becomes Flytiliser. There is no waste stream. We think there is something meaningful about raising animals for a genuine, valued purpose rather than as an industrial input with no other consideration.
BSF farming in the context of other animal agriculture
Insect farming raises genuine welfare questions. But it is worth being honest about what the alternative is. The chicken feed market is predominantly supplied by soy-based and fishmeal-based protein. Both involve significant and well-documented welfare concerns — factory farming conditions for the animals whose by-products supply soy, and the harvesting of wild-caught fish at enormous scale.
We are not making the argument that insect welfare doesn’t matter because other things are worse. We are making the argument that insect farming, done thoughtfully, is part of a more ethical food system — not a step backwards from it.
BSF are particularly well-suited to farming in welfare-conscious conditions. They do not have the social complexity of mammals or birds. They do not show signs of prolonged distress. They thrive in the conditions of a well-run insect farm. And their entire lifecycle — from egg to adult — is one in which we can exert care and control at every stage.
If you have questions about our specific practices, or if you are a researcher working in this area and would like to discuss our operation, please get in touch at hello@syntects.co.uk.
BSF larvae vs conventional protein sources — welfare comparison
We farm with care, and we’ll keep improving.
Syntects is a small British insect farm. We are not a welfare organisation and we do not have all the answers. What we do have is a genuine commitment to engaging with the question honestly, rather than dismissing it because it is inconvenient or commercially awkward.
Our position is precautionary care under uncertainty. We apply good husbandry practices across our operation, we follow the emerging science, and we are willing to change our approach as the evidence develops. We believe this is the right response to a genuinely open scientific question.
If you are researching insect welfare or have specific questions about how we operate, we welcome the conversation. Email us at hello@syntects.co.uk.