Any stainless steel used in a worm farm would be low tech, very high production level things like sinks, tables, etc which are "expensive" compared to non-stainless, but much less expensive that the much lower production level equipment used in biofermentation facilities. There just aren't that many biofrementation production facilities in the world COMPARED TO the total of other industries that use the low level stainless things like trays, tables, sinks, etc.
A worm farm is not going to need to shell out $3,000 for a fancy stainless steel mixing vavle and other such things, so your point is irrelevant. Things at worm farms have to be clean but they do not have to be sterile. This difference as huge economic significance.
And disease on a worm farm would be far less serious than disease in a biotech production facility. Silkworms are not susceptible to many diseases and the vectors that transmit them are not that common (particularly if you make a wise choice of where to locate your facility). But the diseases that can wreck havoc in a biofermentation facility are ominpresent. That's why the all have HEPA air filtration, overpressure, VERY strict gowning procedures with different levels of restricted access, even equipment is confined to specified areas of the plant. Cleanup after a disease outbreak would be vastly simpler and less expensive (ask anyone who's done a cGMP course what you have to go thru at a biofermentation plant) If you add in lost production (it takes a LOT longer to clean up a biofermentation plat) its easily a difference of several orders of magnitude.
That kind of thing is what the difference between "low tech" and "high tech"really means: for EVERYTHING you the costs are much higher for the high tech.
A "high tech" worm farm is only "high tech" in comparison to other worm farms. It would still be low tech compared to a very standard biotech fermentation facility. (if you have trouble with that, go visit one and take a look at the equipment and facilities.)
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