ISSUE FOCUS FEED & ADDITIVE MAGAZINE October 2022 45 IMPACTING ECOSYSTEMS Among the various environmental impacts of the insect farming industry that EU experts readily concede they have little information on, are the consequences of release, accidental or otherwise. The introduction of invasive alien species or, simply, the sudden introduction of high concentrations of certain endemic species in a given area may have consequences for local ecosystems, threaten food security and biodiversity. The economic consequences could be significant, considering that invasive species are the cause of a 14% reduction in global food production. Moreover, the changing climate increases the capacity of invasive alien species to establish. An increased risk of insect-borne pathogens would pose an additional threat to already struggling wild-living insects that are essential for the ecosystem, such as pollinators. These concerns, furthermore, are multiplied when considering the possibility of insects that have been genetically modified to grow bigger, faster, adapt more easily and be more resilient. APPLYING THE PRECAUTIONARY PRINCIPLE Insect farming is not necessarily compatible with a more sustainable food system. It raises new animal welfare issues and, as an industry, it is expanding rapidly despite numerous and significant unknowns. The precautionary principle needs to be applied in legislating the insect production sector. It is imperative to ensure that its development is compatible with the EU’s objectives for a sustainable food system. Indeed, in June of this year, the Global Partnership for Animals banned the use of insect protein as feed in its animal welfare certification scheme for Atlantic Salmon aquaculture, citing the lack of “thorough understanding” of insect feed sustainability and its animal welfare implications. Further EU regulatory authorisations for industrial rearing of insect species should not be given until there is solid scientific evidence on their welfare needs, and a greater understanding of the practice’s environmental, ecosystem and food system impacts. Failing this, the emerging insect protein industry, seen as a panacea for animal farming by some, may turn out to be a chimaera. About Jacopo Moccia Jacopo Moccia is a Political Advisor on insect farming and sustainable food system at Eurogroup for Animals (EfA), an EUwide animal welfare organisation with over 80 members across Europe. EfA is based in Brussels, Belgium and works closely with the European institutions to promote animal welfare and a healthy and sustainable food environment policies. Belgian of Italian origin, Jacopo has a Master’s degree from the University of Sussex and has worked for over 20 years in politics and EU-affairs.
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