Europe can use fly larvae as feed for chickens and pigs

The European Commission (EC) is considering the possibility of feeding fly larvae on farms to provide protein-rich food sources for livestock and poultry.

The European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) affirmed that the use of insects as animal feed does not increase the risk of biology or chemistry compared to other forms of breeding, New Atlas on September 6 brought believe. Insects can become a good source of animal feed to help people escape the global protein shortage.

EFSA used research results from French, Dutch, and Belgian scientists to make a report on environmental risks when cultivating insects on farms. The results show that if the insect-raising substrate does not contain proteins derived from human or ruminant waste, the likelihood of insects developing pathogenic abnormal proteins such as mad cow disease will decrease.

The EU is studying the possibility of using fly larvae as a feed source.(Photo: PROteINSECT).

However, researchers are still uncertain about the consumption of insects by humans and animals. The accumulation of chemicals such as heavy metals or arsenic is one of the issues that needs further research.

The European Commission (EC) is reviewing data and considering implementing the PROteINSECT project funded by the EC Fund to check the safety as well as the ability to raise fly larvae on farms as animal feed.

Since 2013, PROteINSECT members have worked with European, Chinese and African experts to study the introduction of two species of fly larvae into the diet of chickens, pigs and fish. They reared larvae with organic waste, then analyzed the quality and safety of new feed sources.

According to the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), global demand for meat is expected to increase by 72% between 2000 and 2030. Therefore, the supply of protein in animal feed needs to increase rapidly.

Farming insects to provide protein for livestock will help liberate land to plant trees, meet the direct needs of people and contribute to ensuring food security in the future.