Feeding fish and livestock with insects can reduce UK soybean use by a factor of five and protect important habitats from destruction-the report suggests- Written by Emily Beament of the Press Association..

Demand for insect meals from the British pig, poultry and salmon sector could reach approximately 540,000 tonnes per year by 2050, according to a study commissioned by the wildlife charity WWF in collaboration with Tesco.

This could mean that about 16,000 tonnes of fishmeal and 524,000 tonnes of soybeans would be exchanged. That’s one-fifth of the UK’s forecast for soybean imports in 2050, or Tesco’s overall 2018 soybean footprint.

About 150,000 hectares (370,000 acres) of land per year are needed to produce that amount of soybeans, which is about the same area as Greater London, he said.

According to the report, three-quarters of soybean cultivation is used for animal feed, contributing to deforestation, conversion of natural habitats to arable land, and climate change, with more than 100,000 hectares lost each year. It is hitting major landscapes such as the Cerrado in Brazil. Give way to soybean production.

Not only does switching to insect meal reduce that pressure, but many insects also recycle and break down surplus foods, by-products, and other potentially wasted biomaterials into useful proteins instead. There were also benefits, the report said.

At this time, processed insect protein cannot be supplied to livestock intended for human consumption, but the EU plans to amend legislation permitting its use in pig and poultry feed, the UK. May follow suit, and is also permitted in aquaculture.

The report suggests that British insect producers can produce about 240,000 tonnes of insect meal, but industry growth lags behind other countries, with insects raised for animal feed. Materials for feeding are limited.

WWF and Tesco urged the UK Government, informed by the Scottish Food Standards Agency, to investigate the potential and regulatory requirements for the use of additional ingredients in insect cultivation. I am.

Tesco wants the government to develop financial incentives to support innovative aquaculture methods, including insect farming, to help scale up, and WWF is working with farmers and retailers to develop insect meals. We want to increase the demand for.

Mike Barrett, Executive Director of Science and Nature Maintenance at WWF, said: “Livestock play an important role in the world’s food system, but producing feed for 80 billion animals raised for human consumption each year puts immense pressure on the planet’s resources. I’m calling.

“It is important that the food we eat in the UK does not cause deforestation abroad, as nature is in free fall and the climate is at stake.

“We encourage the UK Government and the retail industry to take urgent action to remove environmentally harmful practices from supply chains and shelves.

“This includes expanding the use of alternative proteins such as insect meals to support the demands of circulating feeding systems here in the UK.”

Ashwin Prasad, Tesco’s Chief Product Officer, said:

“Retailers like Tesco and the entire food industry are playing an important role in expanding the use of insect feed, and we are already trying to use it in our aquaculture supply chains.

“Based on this report, we urge the government to develop financial incentives to support innovative farming methods such as insect farming that support the scale-up of these new industries. ”