Belgium/Hollogne-sur-Geer: a project to breed fly larvae for animal feed

Use unsold fruit and vegetables to raise fly larvae, then turn them into farmed food. This is the aim of the young company Wastech. Its 4 Brussels-based founders plan to set up their factory in a hangar of the former graterie in Hollogne-sur-Geer.

With its insect meal, the company hopes in particular to counter the production of fish meal used in animal feed. The public inquiry for the environmental permit closes tomorrow.

Insects rich in protein and fat

The idea of this young ecological start-up, founded 4 years ago, is to raise black soldier fly larvae using organic waste. Nicolas Rotsart is one of the 4 founders of Wastech. He plans to process 3,000 tonnes a year of unsold fruit and vegetables from Delhaize. "We grind up all these fruits and vegetables, make a puree of them, feed them to our little larvae and after a 12-day cycle, we turn these larvae into animal feed because these insects are very rich in protein and fat," he explains. "And on the other hand, we have the excrement of these larvae, which is a kind of compost that we reuse for agriculture. These insects come from tropical environments."

500 tonnes of larvae per year

So, should local residents in Hollogne-sur-Geer fear being invaded by black soldier flies? " No," replies Nicolas Rotsart. "There will be no flies in this plant. These larvae, after 12 days, are directly killed to make flour for animal feed."

The company hopes to produce 500 tonnes of live larvae and 700 tonnes of compost per year. "We have this frass which is therefore a mixture between larvae dejecta and undigested substrate that will be used for fields."

The company hopes to open in Geer in early 2025.

Source: www.rtbf.be/article/