Testing the feasibility of creating enhanced strains of Black Soldier Fly through an innovative non-GM technique

"The growth in the world's population is putting strain on traditional food resources, animal protein in particular. World meat and fish production is projected to double by 2050 and all those animals need to be fed. The traditional sources of protein for animals feeds are wild-caught fishmeal and soy meal, the increasing production of which will further contribute to overfishing and deforestation.

Fishmeal production has stagnated as wild stocks are suffering the long-term consequences of depletion as a result of heavy overfishing, halving marine populations in the last 4 decades. This led to a 300% increase in fishmeal price over the last decade. Soya production practices need large expanses of land, expensive fertilisers and huge water requirements. Every year, 4 million hectares of rainforests are destroyed to grow soya crops. Additionally, the use of soymeal in aquaculture feed can result in negative effects on the digestive health of fish, leading to an increased use of synthetic immunostimulants and antibiotics.

One solution to this problem is to supplement fishmeal and soymeal in animal feeds with insect protein. Insects grow quickly, requiring minimal land and water, while recycling organic waste streams. A new industry - ""insects for feed"" is growing at an unprecedented rate to provide animal feed manufacturers with sustainable insect protein. The majority of insect farmers in this industry are using a species of fly called _Hermetia Illucens_ or the Black Soldier Fly (BSF).

The project will allow Beta Bugs to further test, refine and apply a non-GM technique never before applied to BSF giving us the ability to rapidly evolve new strains of BSF which are easier and cheaper for BSF farmers to farm. These strains will then be license to BSF farmers (such as Entocycle) both in the UK and around the world.

Beta Bugs believes that the enhanced BSF strains made possible by this technique, and the efficiency and production gains they provide to BSF farmers will be key to unlocking the potential of BSF farming to address the world's growing protein production crisis."