Scaling the UK Insect Protein Sector: Industrial Research for low-emission protein production

The core aim of this project is to accelerate the UK's insect protein sector by addressing major barriers to scaling. AgriGrub, the UK's largest insect protein producer, will work alongside Beta Bugs, an insect breeder, and Aston University, supply chain analysis specialists, to address these challenges and build a roadmap for scaling insect production in the UK to meet demand.

The major barriers addressed include the high cost of capital equipment, operational efficiency, insufficient supply chain segmentation and a lack of sector wide strategy.

This project will result in the UK's first high-scale Black Soldier Fly larvae production facility, which will produce 550 tonnes of insect protein production annually, for use in net-zero-carbon livestock feed.

AgriGrub and Beta Bugs will both produce new products which will allow UK farmers to quickly and cheaply start producing insect protein to meet huge demand. Aston University will analyse the whole insect protein supply chain and produce a roadmap to scale for the sector.

The team intends to use the project outputs to scale their own operations, but to also make the outputs available to anyone who wants to start farming insects, and to collaborate with interested farmers.

The project takes a systems approach; combining and validating individual innovations from each project partner to produce a unique and innovative combined offering to UK agriculture. The core aim is to to accelerate the insect protein sector in time to facilitate decarbonisation of UK food production by 2050\.