The European Agricultural  Fund for Rural Development (EAFRD) and its subsidy program POP3 makes it possible for companies to work together. For a new project Wadudu colberates with Entrofarm, Bijl Elekctrorechniek, Worm Nursery Wasse, Maatschappij Aalbers and Sijbenga. All these coperations want to set up a sustainable insect chain with this initiative. The project is called the ‘InsectHub’. 

Insect chain

Currently, there is no question of a sustainable transparent chain within the insect sector. Many parties do not work together and do not share their knowledge and research. The insect chain is therefore a very closed chain where there is hardly any openness. This while insects have a good chance of making a major contribution to solving the world food problem. Insects can make a major contribution to circular agriculture and process residual flows from Dutch food production into products suitable for food, feed and industrial applications.

But thanks to the support of the EAFRD (POP3), the cooperation partners can work together in the field of insect breeding and accelerate each other in the breeding process. In addition, there will also be a specialization place with the various growers. Here, companies will specialize in breeding, rearing parent stock and marketing.

Mostly, the project focuses on the biobased economy, which is reflected in the processing of the residual flows and making the insects suitable for both food, feed and industrial applications.

In addition, the project contributes to structural soil improvement by applying insect manure to agricultural land. In which the soil life is expected to be extra stimulated.

Targets:
• Sustainable insect chain -> a realized chain (perhaps in a cooperative form) from which the entire chain benefits.
• Quality mark -> quality mark to which the insect chain commits itself.
• Responsible disposal of manure / dead animals -> responsible disposal of insect manure within regular (organic) agriculture, and where the dead animals have a responsible destination. And the manure contributes to sustainable structural soil improvement.
• Rotating insect farms -> several insect breeding companies occupying different places in the chain.
• Insect products on the market. -> regular sales of insects with contracts with different authorities.

You can find more information about POP3 subsidies here.