Insect Welfare

[Analogous]

“People farm insects for all sorts of reasons: Farmers rear bees to pollinate billions of dollars of crops, textile companies raise silkworms for their cocoons, and cosmetic companies use cochineal beetles for dyes. Researchers also put insects to work in labs: Fruit flies have revolutionized genetics, cockroaches provide insights into neurobiology, and ants inspire AI driven robots.
trillions of insects are farmed each year across the globe – more than all other livestock combined. Each year, producers rear some 2.1 trillion black soldier flies alone – and, if industry trends hold, will be rearing three times as many in 2035. Currently, roughly 30 times as many insects are produced as the most-farmed “traditional” farm animal: the chicken.
It’s widely acknowledged that it’s wrong to cause unnecessary pain in animals. So, if insects can feel pain, then there is an ethical reason to protect their welfare.”

Insects are everywhere in farming and research − but insect welfare is just catching up

There’s no single, simple way to assess whether bugs feel pain, but research is giving scientists a better understanding of their abilities.

theconversation.com

 

[arj]

Very interesting read and this took me to the other topic of do Plants feel pain . while they dont have nerves the way animals have they do show distress an some experiments have apparently shown a high frequency distress. Similarly Trees using the Myocellium network to communicate amongst themselves or large groups of trees

so we take the ethical debates to plants as well and just because they do not make sound or behave the way we do does that make it ok to kill them just because they cannot communicate with us ?

I guess , in the end , life is "brutal " which is by our own definition of what is brutal. And as for plants and animals its regular life.

 

[mbhangui]

Very interesting read and this took me to the other topic of do Plants feel pain . while they dont have nerves the way animals have they do show distress an some experiments have apparently shown a high frequency distress. Similarly Trees using the Myocellium network to communicate amongst themselves or large groups of trees

The way pain is expressed is different for different species. Animals have a nervous system and have nerve system to feel pain. Plants have evolved differently, but they do have mechanism to detect things that harm them. At the building block all life is the same and consists of bonds between adenine and guanine and cytocine and thiamin. Life as we know evolved 3.5 to 4 billions years ago. Was life created before 3.5 billions years ago. Sure. Definitely. Life that evolved didn't feel pain or didn't have defence mechanism, didn't have the genetic code to adapt died out. This mechanism of feeling pain is part of the evolution. No life can survive without the mechanism of feeling pain and hence take preventive/remedial action.

pain is a product of evolution, serving as a crucial survival mechanism by alerting organisms to potential harm and prompting protective behaviors.

Here's a more detailed explanation:

• Evolutionary Function:
  The pain system, including the feeling of pain, has evolved and is likely an old system in evolutionary terms. It's a functional adaptation that helps organisms detect and respond to tissue damage or potential threats, promoting survival and reproductive success.
  
  
• Pain as a Signal:
  Pain acts as a warning signal, alerting individuals to potential danger, encouraging them to withdraw from the source of harm and seek help or treatment.
  
  
• Pain and Survival:
  The ability to experience pain is vital for survival, as it helps organisms avoid injury, heal effectively, and protect themselves from predators or other dangers.
  
  
• Pain in Humans:
  In humans, pain may have been shaped by natural selection to be a credible and convincing signal of the need for help and care, especially given our social nature.
  
  
• Evolutionary Perspective on Pain:
  An evolutionary perspective can offer insights into the major public health problem of chronic (persistent) pain, as behaviors associated with it can perpetuate both pain and disability.
  
  
• Pain and Social Context:
  For some species, evolution has selected processes that allow the expression of pain to be strongly modulated by social context.
  
  
• Pain and Chronic Pain:
  While pain is a useful adaptation, the pain system can sometimes malfunction, leading to chronic pain, which may be a result of mismatches between modern environments and the evolved pain system.
  
  • Acute Pain: Acute pain is a protective mechanism that alerts individuals to a danger and motivates them to seek help or withdraw from the source of pain.
    
    
  • Chronic Pain: Chronic pain can be a result of a maladaptive response to persistent tissue damage or inflammation, or it may be a result of a mismatch between the evolved pain system and modern environments.
    
    
  • Social Pain: Emotional pain, like social rejection, can also be seen as an evolutionary adaptation, as it motivates individuals to seek social connection and avoid situations that could lead to social isolation.

• Evolutionary Advantage:
  Pain, in animals, evolved as a warning system to alert them to potential danger and allow them to take action to avoid harm. However, plants, being rooted and unable to move freely, don't have the same need for such a system.
  
  
• Plant Responses to Damage:
  While plants can detect and respond to damage, these responses are not based on pain perception but rather on chemical and electrical signals that trigger defensive mechanisms, like producing toxins or hardening tissues.
  
  • Plants can release volatile substances to warn nearby plants of danger.
    
    
  • They can accumulate jasmonate, a chemical that triggers defense responses.
    
    
  • They can exhibit "slow wave membrane potentials" in response to burning or wounding.
    
• Focus on Survival:
  Plants have evolved to survive in their environments through various mechanisms, including defense against herbivores and pathogens, and adaptation to changing conditions, rather than through the experience of pain.