Large scale insect rearing and animal welfare

D.M. De Goede; J. Erens; E. Kapsomenou; M. Peters

Large scale insect rearing and animal welfare

In: The ethics of consumption

Authors:

D.M. De Goede

D.M. De Goede ¹Wageningen University, Sub-department Communication, Philosophy and Technology, Hollandseweg 1, 6706 KN Wageningen, the Netherlands

Search for other papers by D.M. De Goede in
Current site
Google Scholar
PubMed

J. Erens

J. Erens ¹Wageningen University, Sub-department Communication, Philosophy and Technology, Hollandseweg 1, 6706 KN Wageningen, the Netherlands

Search for other papers by J. Erens in
Current site
Google Scholar
PubMed

E. Kapsomenou

E. Kapsomenou ¹Wageningen University, Sub-department Communication, Philosophy and Technology, Hollandseweg 1, 6706 KN Wageningen, the Netherlands

Search for other papers by E. Kapsomenou in
Current site
Google Scholar
PubMed

, and

M. Peters

M. Peters ²Vereniging Nederlandse Insecten Kwekers (VENIK), Helvoirtsestraat 13, 5268 BA Helvoirt, the Netherlands; douwe.degoede@wur.nl

Search for other papers by M. Peters in
Current site
Google Scholar
PubMed

Type:: Chapter

Pages:: 236–242

DOI:: https://doi.org/10.3920/9789086867844_040

Purchase instant access (PDF download and unlimited online access):

€42.00€35.00 excl. VAT

Add to Cart

Redeem Access Token

In Europe, the intentional cultivation of insects for feed or food has long been uncommon. Recently however, a trend of insect consumption as an environmentally friendly alternative to the consumption of traditional animal livestock emerges, most notably in the Netherlands. Possible benefits include recycling of organic waste into biomass of high nutritional value, lower ecological footprint, and increased food security. This paper discusses the potential of large scale insect rearing in the Netherlands in relation to the new Dutch Wet Dieren (Animal Act). Current legislation on welfare of production animals typically refers to Brambell’s five freedoms, and explicitly excludes invertebrates. In the absence of specific welfare regulations for insects, and through trial and error, pioneering insect farmers have individually developed best production practices for their niche markets and insect farmers are hesitant to share their expertise when independent authorities and welfare regulations are not available yet. The Animal Act not only includes several insects as production animals, but also asks farmers to respect the intrinsic value of the insects in terms of Brambell’s five freedoms. In our paper we address the question if and how the existing framework of Brambell’s five freedoms can be applied to measure insect welfare. We observe that scientific information about insect welfare and used rearing methods is limited. We argue that an explicit declaration of applicability of Brambell’s framework to insects is perceived as a scientific problem, but that it also suggests a deliberate moral extension, leading to the inclusion of insects as a category of moral objects in Dutch animal welfare legislation.

Citation Info

Save
Cite
Email this content

Share link with colleague or librarian

You can email a link to this page to a colleague or librarian:
Email this content
or copy the link directly:

https://brill.edhh.ma/abstract/book/9789086867844/BP000040.xml
The link was not copied. Your current browser may not support copying via this button.

Link copied successfully

Collapse
Expand

The ethics of consumption

The citizen, the market, and the law

E-Book ISBN:: 9789086867844

Publisher:: Wageningen Academic

Print Publication Date:: 01 Nov 2013

Subjects
- Life Sciences

Metrics

	All Time	Past 365 days	Past 30 Days
Abstract Views	1149	261	22
Full Text Views	56	6	1
PDF Views & Downloads	61	5	1

African Studies	Education	Media Studies
American Studies	History	Middle East and Islamic Studies
Ancient Near East and Egypt	Human Rights and Humanitarian Law	Musicology
Art History	International Law	Philosophy
Asian Studies	International Relations	Religious Studies
Biblical Studies	Jewish Studies	Slavic and Eurasian Studies
Biology	Languages and Linguistics	Social Sciences
Book History and Cartography	Life Sciences	Theology and World Christianity
Classical Studies	Literature and Cultural Studies

Subjects

Authors

Open Access

Product Information

Company

Contact

Large scale insect rearing and animal welfare

Citation Info

Share link with colleague or librarian

The ethics of consumption

The citizen, the market, and the law

Table of Contents

Metrics

Metrics