ISSUE FOCUS FEED & ADDITIVE MAGAZINE October 2022 43 In this context, insect protein from industrial insect farming facilities is touted as an environmentally friendly way to enrich and replace traditional feed for intensively farmed animals as it could replace soy imports from Latin America and reduce the amount of arable land used to produce feed. This, in turn, could diminish the political urgency of reducing animal product consumption and, on the contrary, justify increased intensive animal farming to meet increasing demand for meat, fish and dairy. On this basis, insect farming is taking off in Europe, with the two biggest insect production facilities in the world operating, or soon-to-operate, located in the EU. Not wishing to rain on this insect parade, Eurogroup for Animals and other animal welfare advocates in Europe are calling for the precautionary principle to be applied to the sector, with future authorisations subordinated to a broader understanding of impacts on the environment, the sustainability of the food system and the welfare of the animals reared by this new livestock industry. EXACERBATING THE FOOD-FEED COMPETITION One of the main arguments in favour of insect farming is that insects can feed on waste and other products not fit for human or animal consumption and upcycle them into protein. However, most of these ingredients are not authorised in feed for insects (known as substrates) due to concerns over disease and pathogen spread. Studies on the capacity of insects to carry pests and spread disease and pathogens suggest that this is a serious concern. The slaughter process through freezing or use of heat may reduce the risk, but what is not known is how unprecedented concentrations of thousands of individuals may impact pest and disease transmission and resilience. Moreover, not all ingredients are sufficiently nutritious to guarantee high protein conversion rates and low mortality rates in facilities. Not all insect species can thrive on waste or poor-quality substrates. Absence of adequate food can trigger competitive behaviour between individuals and cannibalism, leading to injury and death. Bottom line, this means that not all ingredients are commercially viable for insect rearing. In fact, according to the industry association International Platform of Insects for Feed and Food (IPIFF), producers use a number of different ingredients, including fruits, vegetables, and cereal. These are resources that could be used for direct human consumption or to feed extensively reared chickens and pigs. Around a third of insect producers use commercial feed which can include soy. Adding an extra trophic level to the food chain, by feeding insects ingredients that could be consumed directly by animals or people, is not necessarily efficient and contradicts the need to reduce the foodfeed competition and the EU’s objective of making the food system more resilient. The need for system resilience has, unfortunately, been made painfully clear by the tragic war in Ukraine that is putting pressure on the EU’s feed supply chains. If the insect industry ramps up at rates forecasted by some observers - Industry investor Rabobank predicts up to half a million tonnes of insect protein Ingredients used in substrates by insect producers (percentage -%- of producers using each substrate) Source: IPIFF vision paper on the future of the insect sector - Survey of IPIFF members March 2018
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