Global cochineal production: scale, welfare concerns, and potential interventions

Abstract

Between 22B and 89B adult female cochineals are killed per year directly to produce carmine dye, of which between 17B and 71B are wild, and between 4B and 18B are farmedThe farming of cochineals directly causes 4.6T to 21T additional deaths, primarily of male and female cochineal nymphs, and adult male cochinealsThe deaths of nymphs are possibly the most painful caused by cochineal productionThe vast majority of cochineal is produced in Peru, followed by Mexico and the Canary IslandsReducing cochineal farming, which accounts for 15% to 25% of the market, would significantly reduce cochineal sufferingReducing wild cochineal harvesting is unlikely to have any significant effect on cochineal sufferingAccordingly, insect advocates interested in reducing cochineal suffering ought to focus on eliminating cochineal farming specifically, and not necessarily all cochineal harvesting