Protein feeds from insects – an alternative feed for poultry farming in the EU

"The approval of the use of insect proteins for poultry feed can be expected very soon",

confirmed Tarik Arsiwalla, Chief Commercial Officer of one of the largest insect feed production enterprises, „Protix“ in the Netherlands, and member of the Board of the International Platform of Insects for Food and Feed (IPIFF).

Feeding farm animals with insect-based feed is currently not permitted in the European Union. It is allowed only for farmed fish.

The next step

The insect sector is rapidly moving towards becoming a protein alternative for feed. In 2017, the first step was taken when the use of insect-based feed for fish in aquaculture was approved. Logically, the next step should be towards the approval of insect-based feed for poultry, where the market is huge and constantly developing. „Taking into account the global scale of the poultry sector, the opportunities for companies such as Protix are enormous. The first projects are in the process of preparation. Considering the voting period and the actual implementation period, I expect that approval can be expected soon", Arsiwalla shares.

Support from the European Commission

The Director of "Protix" draws attention to the support that the insect sector receives from European policymakers. Arsiwalla: "This is of crucial importance for moving the insect sector to the next level. The European Commission includes the use of insects, but also requires that feed and food safety must not be compromised. The sector has economic potential and should not harm the environment. So this is the path we are taking: step-by-step expansion of our markets, while complying with the highest safety standards. Only 4 years passed between the first discussions on the use of insect-based feed in fish farms and the actual approval. This is quite a short period for changing legislation."

Launch of consumer products

Protix is striving to turn the use of insects as food into attractive products for consumers, in order to improve their image as an alternative within the feed and food chain.

In the Netherlands, eggs from hens (OERei) fed with live insect larvae can already be freely purchased. These eggs are sold in the largest supermarket chain in the Netherlands, which intends to increase the number of eggs offered, thanks to the high demand for them.

At European level, Protix recently presented a salmon called "Friendly", which is reared in special farms and fed with insects.

For healthy and sustainable soil

The company is also represented on European markets through its entirely natural fertilizer Bloosom. It consists solely of insects, whose components are rich in organic matter, chitin and minerals that help restore the natural balance in the soil. Bloosom absorbs water, stimulates the activity of soil microorganisms, improves the natural plant defenses and helps produce healthy crops.

Increasing production capacity

At the beginning of September, Protix opened a new insect production plant in Bergen op Zoom, in the southern part of the Netherlands. A large part of the company’s latest financing has been used to implement this production facility. The plant is worth several million dollars and is the second facility built by the Dutch company. The realization of more and more facilities of this type demonstrates the change that is being observed in the emerging new global insect sector. "This is an investment driven by demand and defined by profits. The volumes that we will produce are to a large extent already sold under forward contracts for the coming years to existing as well as potential customers. Fortunately, we can expand our operations in the same location, so that in the near future we can serve more customers and new markets. This will also lead to an expansion of the markets that will use insect meal for poultry feed, as soon as this is approved by Brussels", Arsiwalla concluded.