Wednesday 2 September 2020

Could insect-based animal feed be the key to decarbonising agriculture?

Switching to insect-based animal feeds could help the UK accelerate progress towards its net zero targets for 2050.

Entec Nutrition, set up by two University of Exeter scientists, suggests insect-based feeds offer a "promising method to feed animals in a sustainable, low carbon way" - and the researchers have landed a £250,000 grant from Innovate UK to help do just that.

They note it is vital to tackle emissions from agriculture and initially plan to work on efficient insect production for the poultry and fish farming industries.

Currently, the global feed industry is energy-intensive, reliant on imports, sensitive to fluctuations in price and linked to deforestation in many regions of the world.

Dr Olivia Champion, who co-founded Entec Nutrition with University of Exeter Professor Richard Titball, said: "We are thrilled to have won this Innovate UK grant with our research partners.

“It’s really exciting for Entec Nutrition to form part of the UK’s clean innovation solutions to reach net zero carbon emissions by 2050.

“The funding will allow us to explore methods for low-energy production of insects to lower the cost of production and the environmental impact of the feed industry.”