Using bugs as animal feed can cut down deforestation: Report

According to a World Wildlife Fund (WWF)report, insect protein could replace 20 per cent of the UK's imports of soya by 2050.

It found that just under half of the demand for insect protein can be met by British producers. The study outlines a plan for the UKto speed up the uptake of insect protein in animal feed.

Soyis increasingly being used in animal feed, however, deforestation has also been linked to its use.

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According to estimates, in 2019 alone, more than 1 million tonnes of soya consumed by livestock farmers in the UK may have contributed to deforestation.

Mollie Gupta, WWF's forest commodities manager says that among the findings was the first quantification of the benefits of insect protein in the UK. She adds that her team has been exploring insect protein as an alternative to soya for 18 months and that whileit was always obvious that it had great potential, the fact that it can cut UK's soya imports by a fifth is unbelievable.

Taking advantage of this potential will require major hurdles to be overcome, particularly legislation. Animal feed regulations affect what animals can be fed, and then what they can be fed to. This double legislative burden is a significant one.

Protein extracted from insects is primarily used for pet food and aquafeed, where it competes with fishmeal, another unsustainable source of protein.

The report recommends that government allow the use of insect proteins in soya-based pig and poultry feed. In addition to increasing production, this will open up markets for insect protein.

Insects will be approved for use in pig and poultry feed by the EU this summer.

Also discussed in the report is the need for legislation to broaden the range of feedstocks that can be used when farming insects, such as products containing meat and fish as well as leftover food from manufacturing processes.

In addition, Gupta stressed that it was essential for governments to support insect production in a similar manner to what they do for other farming methods or industries, such as anaerobic digestion, which directly competes with plants and food waste for feedstock.

She predicted that this would bring the price of insect protein to the level of fishmeal in the short term and to soy meal in the long term.

Retailers could also contribute to the use of insect protein in animal feed by encouraging its use in their supply chains and educating consumers about its benefits, according to the report.