My fellow blogger narhvalur tells us about entomoculture (insect farming). This is a good business opportunity, partly because of high commodity prices for animal feed. Commodities which include soyabeans (Glycine max). So much for GM soya being a way to grow cheap food and feed!
I like the ideas about replacing fishmeal with insect meal, in aquaculture. Many of the fish we humans like to eat are carnivorous. If we rely on hunted fish to feed our farmed fish, overfishing is a risk. As an alternative, food waste can be used to feed insects and the insects can be used to feed fish. Fish which we can eat.
The law needs updating in Europe. Animal-derived feed ingredients are regulated tightly here since BSE (bovine spongiform encephalopathy) caused a food scare in the 1980s. Progress towards eliminating BSE is important, hence the rules about feeding animals to animals. But those rules weren’t designed to stop farmers feeding insects to fish.
And as Ann points out, fish poo can be useful fertiliser. Less mining of rocks.
I hope insect farming will buzz, supporting farming and growing, fish farming, food processing, grocery and waste management.
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