Leeds University and Entocycle reveal research program for commercialisation of UK insect farming
An entomologist analyses black soldier fly eggs. Credit: Entocycle
06 Dec 2023
Wednesday 6th December, 2023 – The University of Leeds and Entocycle unveiled a new £430,000 research program today dedicated to developing the protocols and codes of practice to unlock the growth of the UK insect farming industry and its potential to decarbonise livestock production.
The UK insect farming industry is currently constrained by strict legislation on the use of insect protein in animal feed and a lack of protocols and standards for insect-rearing facilities. Furthermore, current UK and EU legislation prohibits the use of livestock manure and slurry as a feedstock for insects, restricting its potential to reduce the growing problem of agricultural waste and the associated environmental pollution. Currently, feedstocks allowed to breed and feed insects are primarily of vegetal origin. Examples include vegetables not meeting specific supermarket standards, byproducts from vegetable processing such as potato or carrot peelings, or spent grains from beer or spirits production. Animal products are not permitted, with the exception of dairy products and eggs.
The project, named InSAFE, is funded by Innovate UK and BBSRC as part of the Novel Low Emission Food Production Systems competition and will evaluate the use of non-permissive feedstocks, including pig slurry, chicken manure and sewage sludge, to raise black soldier fly (BSF).
Protocols, codes of practice and Food Safety and Quality standards will also be developed for a range of production scales, from small lab-scale units to commercial farms.
A new, state-of-the-art insect-rearing demonstrator facility, developed and installed by the UK’s leading insect technology company Entocycle, will house the research and is situated at The National Pig Centre on the University of Leeds’ research farm in Yorkshire.
The 40ft walk-in unit – named ‘Entoexplore’, is the only commercial demonstrator to utilise non-permissive feedstocks in the UK, and it has been specifically designed and built to withstand the industrial requirements of handling these inputs. The unit mirrors commercial rearing environments with an environmental control system and Wi-Fi data monitoring.
Samples will be collected from the unit, in addition to Entocycle's R&D facility in London for permissive feedstocks, including segregated food waste. The research will analyse the bacterial microbiome, pathogen loads, presence of AMR genes, and heavy metal content of permissive and non-permissive feedstocks before and after insect bioconversion (the natural process of insects eating and upcycling waste matter into higher-value products such as protein and fertiliser), alongside analysis of the BSF larvae and by-products such as frass.
The UN predicts that by 2025, the world will have a 60 million tonne deficit of protein to feed animals and humans. 75% of global soy production is used as protein in animal feed, but its production is fuelling both deforestation in critical ecosystems and the climate crisis. Insect farming provides a low-carbon protein alternative to soy and other feed ingredients by using less land area, less water, and fewer fossil fuel-based materials per kg of protein produced.
Will Bisset, Commercial Officer of Entocycle, said, “Once UK legislation is updated to permit these inputs, we’ll see the price of insect protein fall and challenge incumbent protein sources such as fishmeal and soymeal, becoming a mainstream protein source across agriculture. The UK has a real opportunity to become a global leader in this space and become much more secure in terms of our food and feed supply – especially amidst the global shocks and supply chain instability of recent years.”
Dr Gesa Reiss, Global Food and Environment Institute Senior Innovation Fellow, University of Leeds, said, “Insects are still an emerging opportunity for farmers, and developing codes of practice and industry standards, in particular those on Food Safety, will help to align insect farming with other farming systems in the UK. The InSAFE project will help us accelerate our efforts to address some of the barriers facing the industry, in particular those related to food safety.”
Keiran Whitaker, Entocycle’s founder and CEO, added, “I’m incredibly excited about this new research program for its potential to bring the industry closer to delivering the positive impact we know insects can have on our planet and food systems. Paving the way for commercial insect farming would reduce UK carbon emissions from the agricultural sector and help protect and restore our rivers and waterways through the valorisation of excess manure while helping diversify farmer’s revenue – it really is a win for British farmers and for the natural world.”
Dr Stella Peace, Executive Director for the Healthy Living and Agriculture Domain at Innovate UK, said, “At Innovate UK, our role is to inspire and invest in transformative changes that will future proof food production and manufacturing. The projects we are supporting showcase the diverse and impactful innovations emerging in the UK’s agri-food sector. We are excited to see these develop further and look forward to working with them.”
About Entocycle
Entocycle is the UK’s leading provider of insect farms and insect farming technology. Launched in 2017 by Keiran Whitaker, the company exists to accelerate a global transition to sustainable protein through insects, innovation and technology. The London-based company offers complete insect farm design and build services enabling new market entrants to convert organic waste into high-value insect proteins, fats and fertilisers, as well as technology to improve production efficiencies at existing black soldier fly farms. Entocycle has received notable press coverage from The New York Times, Forbes, The Guardian, BBC and Netflix as a leading voice in a rapidly-growing industry.
About the University of Leeds
The University of Leeds is one of the largest higher education institutions in the UK, with more than 39,000 students from about 140 different countries. We are renowned globally for the quality of our teaching and research. We are a values-driven university, and we harness our expertise in research and education to help shape a better future for humanity, working through collaboration to tackle inequalities, achieve societal impact and drive change. We are a member of the Russell Group of research-intensive universities, and is a major partner in the Alan Turing, Rosalind Franklin and Royce Institutes.
More information
biologicalsciences.leeds.ac.uk
Media contact
Jude Bliss, Marketing Director
E-mail: media@entocycle.com