Opportunities and Constraints for Farming INSECTS to feed livestock and pet animals:

a global overview

Paul.vantomme3@telenet.be

Namur, 22 sept. 2016

Overview / Summary

1. Context and Drivers in the global Food and Feed supply:

The (animal!) Protein crunch

2. Protein Alternatives? and Why Insects ? Most suitable alternative, globally

3. What’s going on: Fast unfolding sector (FEED)

FAO’s role: Info sharing, research, consumer acceptance and policy/regulation development

1. Global FOOD & FEED production

• FOOD for direct human consumption, including food ingredients like colorants, flavours, flagrances, spices, thickeners, etc:

8.4 b tons (fresh)/year (source FAOSTAT 2015)

• FEED for our animals (feed, fodder, ingredients,…) 1. Livestock, farmed animals for human consumption 2. Pet animals (cat, dogs, race horses, zoo animals,…..):

6.4 b tons dry matter/year (source GLEAM 2014)

What food ? 8.4 billion tons (FAO, 2015)

Animal ( b$ / mTons)

• Milk 226 / 723 • Meat:

– Cattle 169 / 62 – Pig 169 / 109 – Chicken 132 / 93

• Eggs 55 / 66 (751b$) ................ By 2050: 70% more

Vegetal (b$ / mTons)

• Rice 186 / 738 • Wheat 79 / 671 • Soy 61 / 241 • Tomato 59 / 161 • Sugarcane 58 / 1842 • Corn 54 / 873 • Potatoes 49 / 365 • Vegetables 46 / 270 • Fruits (4) 122 / 186 • Cassava 25 / 269 (739b$) By 2050: 50% more

What FEED ?

SOY

OECD-FAO Agricultural Outlook 2015-2024

Soy Corn mainly

To feed the WORLD in 2016 Global food/feed production requires: • 40% of world ice-free land surface is for

AGRICULTURE (forest: 30%; deserts-mountains:25; wetlands,urban,....

• 70% of total agriculture land use is for feeding livestock

• 1/3 of all grains fed to animals (Soy:80%/Corn:50%)

• 70% of total fresh water use is for agriculture • 110 million tons of chemical fertilizer • 2,3 million tons of pesticides (1/3 glyphosates!)

• 14 a 17% of total GHG emissions (65% CATTLE!)

Pressure: more PROTEIN !

Per capita consumption increase of major food items in developing countries

(1961-2005) → increasing demand for meat and other animals products

FAO, 2009

eggs x 5

meat x 3

milk x 2

In 2016

Close to 800 million tonnes of cereals (1/3 cereal production)

By 2050

an additional 520 million tonnes (1/2 cereal production)

To feed our animals

Monogastric sector (chickens, pigs, aquaculture,.) 2013: Consumed 155 million tonnes of feed protein (mainly Soy)

By 2050: Additional 110 million tonnes of feed protein (50% from

cereals/soy and rest from alternative protein sources)

In 2013

110 million tonnes of course grains used for bioethanol

FOOD - FEED - ENERGY (+bioplastics) COMPETION 60% 30% 10%

2. Protein alternatives

• Capture more out of oceans: Medusae, Jelly fish, krill,... • Farming the sea: macro, micro Algae (Spirula – High tech) • Artificial proteins: meat (120.000$/kg), synthetic AAs (6-16

$/kg) • More out of Agro-industry processing byproducts: mais gluten,

brewers grains, yeasts, potato protein concentrate, ... • Farming more plant protein sources: oil seeds; legumes,

forages, duck weed, trees (Moringa leaves),.......

Compete for land, water, fertilizers, farm inputs OR High capital/tech (spirula)

potential: regional- niche markets

in addition to improve existing protein production and consumption practices

Why Insects ?

• Food for 2 b people + natural feed of chickens, carnivore fish, pigs,... • Good proteins, fats, minerals, + micro nutrients • Feed conversion efficiency: 4x cattle • Can be Fed with organic waste, not competing with foods for humans • Fast breeding cycle (days to 1 month) • Less water, land, CHG,.. • Socially more inclusive – easy to farm, no need for huge investment or

“high tech” skills • Opportunities for business and jobs at any level, everywhere • May help reduce use of antibiotics in feed...... • Global market potential........

“one stone....many birds”

Key messages: Insects are

1. Healthy and Nutritious (food/feed)

2. Environmentally more friendly (climate change, waste recycling, protein/meat prod…..)

3. Socially more accessible

Insects are Socially more accessible Farming insects does NOT require high investments

Knowledge – Capital - Land - Resources :

• also possible for the poor to farm insects, improve their diets and gain cash income

• Farming insects is possible at any scale of commercial undertaking , everywhere around the world and during the full year.

• Good for the local economy

and jobs for the young !

Insects ? YES !!!! , but…… • Biggest challenges:

1. Yuck factor: more for food than for feed !

2. Legal framework (in progress: US, EU (Novel

Food, fish feed), CH, China, Thailand, RSA, Mexico, South Korea,…….)

3. Use of “Waste” to feed insects (Tech + Legal)

4. Product innovation and scaling up ………no validated production and trade data by countries available!

Insects as animal feed

• Chicken feed:

Silk worm pupae: from Europe to China

Termites: Africa, Laos,

• Fish feed: # species

Traditional, artisanal uses

Farming - Substrate Wide variety of organic materials :

– # insect species

– Species have specific feed requirements

– sequential species on same substrate + interaction with others: earthworms, nemathods, fungi, yeasts, bacteria..

• Competing with the human \ farm animal food chain: for example rearing crickets with commercial chicken feed [EU Cat. 3 Catalogue Feed materials]

• Not Competing: low value rest streams, for example: food waste, manure.

Black Soldier Fly larvae production www.millibeter.be Belgium

Supermarket waste 1 ton fresh vegetables

(13 % Dry Matter)

~1 Million BSF eggs

17 days @ 25°C

Frass

100 kg fresh (70% DM)

Larvae 160 kg fresh (~40% DM)

- Protein (30 kg)

- Lipids (24 kg)

- Chitosan (5 kg)

62 Kg dry

Alicante, Spain

100 Kg brewery waste 0,4 kg seed larvae

10 days 25ºC

33 kg fertilizer

Bio digester

33 kg larval biomass 12 kg fly meal

Black Soldier Fly larvae production

Examples from around the world

Global stakeholders: 1000+… and fast increasing !

http://www.fao.org/edibleinsects/stakeholder-directory/en/

Way Forward

• Improve and focus awareness (Media, sectors: food, feed,... ....

• Events, projects, gastronomy... Consumer acceptance

• Increase knowledge generation, dissemination, networking.... (incl. protection of (indigenous) knowledge, nutrition data,

environmental benefits, LCA, socio-economic contribution, jobs, ....

• Legislation and regulatory frameworks (food, feed,

waste management, insect inclusive nature conservation strategies, habitat protection, gathering, processing, trade, consumer protection, health, ..... (Codex Alimentarius)

• Economic’s and technology: reduce costs, improve efficiencies,

automation, business innovation and new products, .......

help structuring this emerging sector (organizing expert meetings – Chiang Mai 2008, Rome 2012, International Conferences – Wageningen 2014 , info sharing and networking, Best Practices and Codex Alimentarious)

Academia

Policy makers

Private sector

Conclusions

• Animal feed key challence: reliable protein supply

• Insects already used/allowed: legally allowed for petfood, traditional feed uses for fish, chickens

• Potential farming insects: solving 2 problems simultaneously – waste disposal + protein prod.

• Constraints: legal (safe), technology and logistics

• FAO support: pets OK, phased approach in approving various substrates for food/feed

• Fast expanding markets: USA/China/Europe Africa

• < 5 Species: Fly larvae (BSF,house fly), mealworms,.

Many Thanks

http://www.fao.org/edibleinsects/en/

Paul.Vantomme3@telenet.be