ISSUE FOCUS 44 FEED & ADDITIVE MAGAZINE October 2022 produced by 2030 - there could be 45 trillion to 50 trillion individual insects produced per year. It is, therefore, fundamental that this does not increase pressure to produce feed for insects to feed animals rather than food for people. MANIPULATING GENES FOR A VIABLE BUSINESS CASE As feed goes, insects are still costly. Data by Rabobank (2020) and Indexmundi (October 2021) suggests that insect meal is 3 to 4 times more expensive than fishmeal and ten times more expensive than soy meal. The necessary path to cost reduction requires increasing the number of individuals reared in facilities. Overcrowding of insects is generally not seen as a problem, due to a generic understanding that insects are gregarious animals and that any resulting cannibalism is normal. This, however, is an oversimplification. Certain species thrive in isolation as well as in gregarious settings. Even with gregarious species, overcrowding not only hinders individuals’ capacity to behave normally, but can be a trigger for abnormal aggressivity and cannibalism. Density in facilities, therefore, matters. Yet true competitiveness will only be attained if insects can grow bigger and faster, a fact that industry CEOs are candid about. The industry is, therefore, turning to genetic breeding and genetic selection. However genetic manipulation is not a risk- nor consequence-free activity, it can give rise to new welfare issues in insects as has been the case in the genetic manipulation of vertebrates before them. BRUSHING ETHICS TO ONE SIDE Overcrowding, behavioural needs and genetic manipulations raise ethical as well as practical and environmental questions. Insects are not protected under EU or national laws which leaves industry carte blanche to consider their welfare or not. Scientific work on insect behaviour is raising the key question of whether farmed insects are sentient, capable of subjective experiences such as pain and fear. There are over 2,000 identified edible insect species, consequently, determining sentience for each is a considerable task. Yet, evidence on insect sentience exists, both for individual species, and across the taxa. The subject of insect welfare may seem risible and, indeed, is brushed aside as the complete absence of insect welfare legislation or standards indicates. Although the subject has not been fully researched, the scientific community does nonetheless advocate caution. This means that insects should be reared in ways that respect their species-specific needs and behaviours and treated humanely at the time of slaughter, despite industry productivity considerations. What is the fundamental difference between insects as livestock and the pigs, hens and fish livestock they are fed to?
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