Issues and challenges
What are the current challenges with insect farming?
Context
Since a report by the FAO published in 2013, insect farming has generated growing interest. It has been presented as a potential solution to the environmental challenges associated with conventional farming, such as deforestation in the Amazon.
France is home to several industry leaders, such as Innovafeed and Ynsect. The latter has received more than $500 million in private and public funding, notably from the Banque Publique d’Investissement.
For an overview of the insect farming sector, see this article.
While recent studies, published in peer-reviewed journals, question the sustainability promises made by the industry, testimonies from several sector players and scientists also highlight the difficulties encountered by insect farming in achieving economic competitiveness.
There are major challenges associated with the development of insect farming
ONEI, after an in-depth analysis leading to the publication of several scientific articles, highlights several major challenges associated with insect farming:
Insect proteins are unlikely to replace meat
Despite public perception often focused on this aspect, ONEI observes that replacing meat with insects faces significant problems of social acceptability. Approximately 95% of investments in this sector are intended for animal feed, and among products intended for human consumption, only one in ten is a meat substitute. In addition, these substitutes generally have a greater environmental impact than plant-based alternatives and are much less accepted by consumers. Consequently, it is unlikely that insect farming will significantly reduce the environmental impact of meat consumption.
Insect-based foods compete with already sustainable products
Far from replacing meat, insect-based products for human consumption are mostly competing with products that already have a low environmental impact: snacks, pasta, biscuits, etc. This situation could lead to an increased environmental footprint of insect-based products, contrary to initial expectations.
Significant economic challenges
The cost of insect-based animal feed is two to ten times higher than that of commonly used products for animal feed. Most manufacturers face significant challenges in scaling up insect farming while reducing costs sufficiently. Several major companies in the sector, such as Ynsect, are close to bankruptcyor have been forced to lay off a significant portion of their workforce. Due to significant economic constraints, some studies estimate that insects will only represent a small portion of the animal feed market in the years to come.
Limited use of waste products
Instead of upcycling waste, a benefit often highlighted when discussing the potential of insects, the majority of the largest insect farms use agricultural by-products, which are often cereal-based. These resources are typically already used for animal feed, thus creating direct competition and not necessarily constituting waste. Many companies in the sector focus their messaging on the contribution of insect farming to the circular economy, but in practice, this potential currently seems limited.
A larger environmental impact for animal feed…
Insect-based animal feed tends to have an increased environmental impact compared to feed based on soy or fishmeal, particularly in terms of greenhouse gas emissions and energy and water consumption. As the use of waste products is limited by logistical, regulatory, health, and economic constraints, the industry prefers to feed its insects with safe and readily available products—such as those already used for conventional farming. However, feeding insects with agricultural by-products and then feeding other animals with insects is less efficient and therefore more impactful for the environment than directly feeding these animals with these agricultural by-products.
… as well as for pet food
Pet food represents half of the market for the insect farming industry. However, the environmental impact of insect-based food is often greater than that of traditional pet food, which typically relies on by-products from conventional farming.
Risks to biodiversity
Researchers have raised concerns regarding the impacts on biodiversity if farmed insects—particularly those that are selectively bred or genetically modified—were to be released or accidentally escaped into the wild.
To learn more, read our article on ecology and insect farming.
Our work
The sources for the above statements can be found in the scientific studies that we have co-published in peer-reviewed journals. They cover various topics: environmental performance of the sector (preprint), economic competitiveness, barriers to the use of waste products and consumer acceptance.
To learn more about ONEI and its activities, contact us via our contact form or subscribe to our newsletter using the form below.