© FarmInsect: A robotic arm takes over the power-intensive loading and unloading of the larvae boxes. After the fattening cycle of seven days, the full boxes are tipped out over a hopper; the contents fall onto a sieve via a conveyor belt.
INDUSTRY
··2 min read

REGIONAL INSECT PROTEIN AS AN ALTERNATIVE TO IMPORTED SOY AND FISHMEAL

The local production of high-quality protein and an investment in a sustainable industry – both are already possible today with the decentralized insect fattening system from FarmInsect, which was founded in 2020. The Munich-based company offers a complete modular solution for larval fattening of the black soldier fly. Farmers can also enter the insect fattening industry with smaller fattening systems and lower investment volumes.

For whom is insect fattening the right business model?

Three factors are decisive for the profitability of an insect fattening facility: the building, the availability of thermal energy and access to residual material streams. 

Firstly, if you want to set up an insect farm, you ideally have an existing, vacant, insulated building with a room height of over four meters and a floor area of at least 400 m2. In a new building, the FarmInsect system can be scaled up individually.

Secondly, the farm ideally has a cheap source of heat, e.g. in the form of unused waste heat from a biogas plant; a wood chip heating or pyrolysis plant; geothermal energy or similar.

© FarmInsect. The freshly sieved larvae fall into a collection container. At this point, the larvae are twelve days old and ready for further use. They are either fed directly to poultry, pigs or fish; or they are cooled to below five degrees, fall into a state of shock rigidity and are thus ready for storage and transportation for further processing. Initial studies have shown that insect feed sustainably promotes animal health and feed conversion.

Thirdly, the farm ideally has access to favorable feed residue streams such as wheat bran, potato stillage, beaten eggs, vegetable residues, spent grains, old bread, and much more. The larvae are excellent feed converters and, in principle, all feedstuffs that are permitted for livestock according to the EU are conceivable. The individual recipe creation for each farm is based on the availability of the residual streams of the respective farm and is part of the FarmInsect service package.

Farms that meet these three requirements – an existing building or openness for a new building, a favorable heat source and access to favorable residual feed streams – can establish a new and attractive mainstay with an insect fattening system. This allows a farm to either produce its own feed for poultry, pigs and fish in the form of high-quality animal protein. Alternatively, FarmInsect offers buy-back contracts for the fattened larvae.

Further information and a non-binding offer are available on request.

FarmInsect GmbH

Münchner Str. 10

85232 Bergkirchen, Germany

Dr. Andrea Funk

+49 89 541998400

info@farminsect.eu

www.farminsect.eu