Abstract
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.
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Title of host publication | Insects as food and feed : from production to consumption |
| Editors | Arnold van Huis, Jeffery K. Tomberlin |
| Number of pages | 16 |
| Publisher | Wageningen Academic Publishers |
| Publication date | 2017 |
| Pages | 364-379 |
| Chapter | 19 |
| ISBN (Print) | 978-90-8686-296-2 |
| ISBN (Electronic) | 978-90-8686-849-0 |
| DOIs | |
| Publication status | Published - 2017 |