Eurogroup for Animals: Insect protein perpetuates conventional farming’s ecological problems
04 Apr 2024 | Eurogroup for Animals
Insect farming is touted as a promising pathway to more sustainable food systems and responsible protein production, but Eurogroup for Animals’ insects political adviser, Francis Maugère, warns the emerging industry serves to perpetuate intensive animal farming and its environmental and animal welfare issues. Maugère also sheds light on the growing evidence that insects demonstrate a capacity for suffering. The International Platform of Insects for Food and Feed responded to this interview here.
Hello everyone, my name is Josh Chapaul and I'm the editorial team leader at CNS Media, the publisher of Food Ingredients First.
Today we are joined by Francis Moi, who is the insect's political advisor at Eurogroup for Animals, and here to discuss the rise of insect-based protein.
So insect farming is widely touted as a promising pathway to more sustainable food systems and responsible protein production, but I understand that you disagree with this view.
Could you just tell us why?
Yes, of course.
The insect farming sector is entering a new market, sustainability and circularity can be strong arguments to receive funds and compensate for higher prices, for example.
There is an increasing recognition that we need to transform our food systems if we want to get rid of the practices that hurt the planet, our health and the animals themselves.
And it is believed that insects can play a role in that, and I guess you have seen the same comparisons that I had where 1 kg of crickets, for example, emits much less CO2 than 1 kg of beef meat.
As of today, though, insect farming is not mainly a food solution, but rather a new form of feed production for farmed animals.
Most investments are oriented in the feed sector, which is identified as the most promising or the most profitable branch of this industry.
This means that we are not dealing with a sector that is solely aiming at replacing highly emissive and low welfare meat with insects.
But that is rather tied and supporting conventional animal agriculture as we know it, with all its welfare and environmental consequences.
Thus, it is not really a new pathway to more sustainable food systems.
Another feed industry, insect farming can hope to substitute part of the current feed sources.
But studies are mixed on the benefits of such a solution.
A recent analysis of the environmental potential of insect production chains in Europe have found that only extremely efficient production systems could achieve environmental benefits here.
Thus we kind of risk adding a new source of feed for similar or worse results.
While in any case keeping all the environmental, health, and ethical consequences that our current intensive farming system induce.
OK, that's very interesting, Francis.
And you mentioned that insect protein is mainly targeted at the animal feed markets, but does it have potential for human consumption in the Western world, and, is this an avenue producers should explore?
First of all, this is an avenue that is indeed explored by producers, but I think that we have once again to look at the whole picture.
What are insects replacing in terms of human food?
Because the majority of products containing insects that enter our food market currently are pasta, crackers, synergy bars, or flaws.
And insects can be as water and land efficient as possible.
They won't top wheat, peas, or other plant-based ingredients in these products.
The sustainability benefits are quite limited for any products that is not replacing meat or animal-based products.
Today we need to offer alternatives to the products that hurt the animals on the planet.
Proteins derived from insects.
Are faced with two main obstacles when compared to plant-based burgers or yeast-derived proteins, for example.
The first one is largely discussed, and it's consumers' reluctance, something that can hinder a quick transition towards new systems, and the second one is much less discussed, and it's the fact that insects are animals, and it's something that can be forgotten that they are often designated under the inappropriate term of alternative proteins, for example.
The reality of protein production with plants and with animals is drastically different.
And the latter induced many concerns surrounding welfare.
To replace one cow, you need insects by the thousands, and this can quickly become very problematic if these animals are found to be sentient.
OK, and the, the welfare of insects is largely unresearched, but according to the latest signs, what do we know about their sentience and their capacity for suffering?
This is a fascinating topic, actually, and a hard one to consider at first and to take seriously, but we have to make this effort and we need to to take it seriously.
We must keep in mind that the history of our relation with non-human animals has continuously disregarded the capacity of different animals to suffer.
Let us not forget that we once disregarded sanctions in birds or in fishes, only to find out that they too experienced pain.
There is a scientific consensus on this question today.
Looking at the science, recent reviews of the evidence for pain in insects consistently find that certain orders of insects are likely or very likely to feel pain.
And that's funny when, when some criteria for pain recognition are not met, it's actually not because of evidence of the contrary, but rather for lack of data and lack of research on the topic.
And it's also quite understandable because with over 5 million species of insects, research is clearly sparse on the topic.
And the insect farming sector is projected to farm individuals by trillions or the tens of trillions by 2030, with the latest evidence suggesting pain is likely in these species.
It is crucial that this sector does not repeat the mistakes made over the history of an animal agriculture and take a precautionary approach when considering insect welfare and the rearing of these animals.
And that leads me to my next question, Francis.
Can insects like black soldier flies and mealworms ever be farmed sustainably and ethically?
Let us put it like that.
I do not believe that insects can be farmed sustainably if they are only destined to feed other intensively farmed animals or if they are destined to replace plant-based ingredients.
And at the same time, I do not believe that insects can be farmed sustainably if they are fed fruits, vegetables, grains, or the byproduct that could be fed directly to farm animals or humans.
And concerning welfare.
I think that the data is still lacking to assess and ensure ethical treatment of insects and fowl.
What I know is that welfare is key to all types of animal agriculture and should never be sacrificed in the quest for profitability or circularity.
I welcome the growing research that we are observing on insect welfare and especially on the most farmed species.
But what we need now is for producers to take up the subject at heart, and it will be key to the sector's development and also to its perception by consumers and the general public.
What I will say that.
I feel that as an emerging sector, insect farming is striving for profitability, and that's understandable, but there could be a temptation for any business to increase productivity at the expense of welfare, health, or sustainability, and we have to be careful not to go this way.
OK, and given your concerns, what action should policymakers take to regulate this emerging industry?
I think that the first priority is to use the right terms.
Insects are animals, but they are too often regarded as proteins or alternative proteins and referred under these terms in laws and others, and this leads to an exclusion from legislation that regulates the rearing of animals and protect welfare.
Policymakers and especially European ones should harmonize EU legislation based on scientific taxonomy, stating clearly that insects are animals.
And the second priority, which is linked to the first one, is the need to develop species-specific regulation on insect welfare, such as what is done for any other species of animal actually, and policymakers need to look into the key aspects like densities, diets, diseases, transport, and slaughter.
And also the consequences of genetic manipulation of insects as it is currently developed.
And finally, The third priority is to consider insect farming in the larger framework of the transition towards sustainable food systems and to be clear on what the objectives are.
The EU is not faced today with a protein shortage.
Rather, the majority of crops grown on arable lands are used as feed for intensively reared animals, and the biggest threats to long-term food security in Europe is that diets are currently too heavy in animal protein.
Exceeding dietary guidelines, scientific health recommendations, and planetary boundaries.
Policymakers need to facilitate the transition away from these systems and toward less and better animal products, and they need to make sure that insect farming does not turn into an obstacle to this urgent need.
That's very interesting, Francis.
Thank you for your time today.
