Could we be eating insects to fill our protein needs in the near future? Keiran Whitaker of Entocycle was speaking at COP26 in Glasgow this week.

The company produces insects for protein production and it looks like this could become a common business into the future.

The discussion at COP26 described the complex food chain and the transport of ingredients from around the world to meet protein requirements.

Insect protein can be produced with very little feed and from byproducts of other food production processes.

“There is no such thing as waste in nature,” Keiran commented.

Insect protein

He explained that 2017 was the first time legislation allowed insect protein to be used in pet food in the UK.

Next year, chickens and pigs will be allowed to be fed insect protein and he stated that it is “highly likely the year after will be humans”.

Insects would form part of roaming poultry’s diets so this ingredient would bring the diet back to basics.

Entocycle is a UK-based company and there is at least one company in Ireland producing protein and feed from insects in Ireland. These products are being sold to feed wildlife, pets, fish and wild birds.

Protein deficit

The EU has a protein deficit and much of the plant protein that we feed to animals is imported from places such as South America.

In Ireland, we struggle to produce crops with very high protein contents such as soya beans, but countries in Europe have the potential to grow these crops.

The Protein Aid Scheme in Ireland encourages tillage farmers to grow protein crops, including beans, peas and lupins, by providing a payment per hectare of protein grown. The budget for this scheme is set to increase from €3m to €7m in the next CAP.