A new EU Agriculture Commissioner just announced, Europe’s Insect Protein Industry met in Brussels in November 2024 hoping that supportive policies for the fledging sector would soon follow. IPIFF says the insect sector could help the EU Protein strategy deliver its goals of diversifying protein sources and increasing EU food autonomy by boosting the production of local and sustainable protein.
IPIFF believes this could be achieved by allowing the use of food waste containing meat and fish in insect diets, authorizing whole dried larvae as feed, registering insect frass as fertilizer, and strengthening border controls on imported insect products.
The high-level event brought together senior EU policymakers, agri-food chain representatives, academic experts, and business leaders. Attendees and guest speakers reflected on the significant milestones the insect protein industry has achieved in the past years, as well as the obstacles it is currently facing—particularly in addressing regulatory hurdles, and financial constraints.
The IPIFF Policy roadmap announced at the event announced three pillars for EU policy action over the next five years to increase competitiveness, promote demand and catalyse financing. The direction of travel will become clearer in the next 3 months as new Commissioner Christopher Hansen is expected to outline his vision within 100 days of coming to office.