Ethical issues in insect production

TY - CHAP

T1 - Ethical issues in insect production

AU - Röcklinsberg, Helena

AU - Gamborg, Christian

AU - Gjerris, Mickey

PY - 2017

Y1 - 2017

N2 - Insect rearing is often presented as a promising novel source of protein in many industrialised countries in the West. In this chapter, we will first give an overview of the different ethical concerns insect production for food and feed give rise to. This is followed by an elaboration of two of the ethical issues that have, so far, been least discussed. (1) Animal welfare: What are the typical reasons given for including welfare considerations in animal production system, and to what extent do they apply to insects? In order to answer these questions, we will discuss how one may conceptualise insect welfare and present an account of what is known, or can be inferred, about the capability of insects to experience welfare and where future research needs lie. (2) Animal integrity: Do insects possess integrity and can it be violated through large-scale production systems? To clarify this, we will discuss whether it can be argued there is more to the ethical discussion than how insects are bred, kept, and killed (i.e. large-scale production including domestication of new species and the killing of billions of insects to further human ends may entail ethically relevant dimensions). Further, we discuss these issues in relation to biotechnological changes of insects for different purposes.

AB - Insect rearing is often presented as a promising novel source of protein in many industrialised countries in the West. In this chapter, we will first give an overview of the different ethical concerns insect production for food and feed give rise to. This is followed by an elaboration of two of the ethical issues that have, so far, been least discussed. (1) Animal welfare: What are the typical reasons given for including welfare considerations in animal production system, and to what extent do they apply to insects? In order to answer these questions, we will discuss how one may conceptualise insect welfare and present an account of what is known, or can be inferred, about the capability of insects to experience welfare and where future research needs lie. (2) Animal integrity: Do insects possess integrity and can it be violated through large-scale production systems? To clarify this, we will discuss whether it can be argued there is more to the ethical discussion than how insects are bred, kept, and killed (i.e. large-scale production including domestication of new species and the killing of billions of insects to further human ends may entail ethically relevant dimensions). Further, we discuss these issues in relation to biotechnological changes of insects for different purposes.

U2 - 10.3920/978-90-8686-849-0

DO - 10.3920/978-90-8686-849-0

M3 - Book chapter

SN - 978-90-8686-296-2

SP - 364

EP - 379

BT - Insects as food and feed

A2 - van Huis, Arnold

A2 - Tomberlin, Jeffery K.

PB - Wageningen Academic Publishers

ER -