MILLIONS of pounds of investment is being pumped into developing insect-based systems of nutrient recycling.

Simply put, the idea is to feed flies on waste food, then process those fattened bugs into a protein-rich animal feed.

A new project, funded with £5.9 million from UK Research and Innovation, is backing insect rearing company Entocycle to scale up a system based on black soldier flies and rejected supermarket produce, and roll this technology out across the country to make UK food production more efficient and less carbon intensive, while potentially creating over 3000 UK-based jobs.

Katrina Hayter, challenge director of UKRI’s Transforming Food Production programme, said: “The Entocycle-led project is one of the most interesting and exciting projects we have funded. Our aim is to make the UK a global hub for Black Soldier Fly farming. Successful development and scaling of this technology should lead to a significant boost in recycling of food waste and a reduction in emissions."

The UKRI has also allocated a total of £4.3 million to 23 feasibility projects demonstrating new prototype technologies to boost agricultural productivity and reduce emissions. Examples of these projects include the 'Healthy Heifer' precision solution to improve productivity across the dairy sector; a new biopesticide to control Cabbage Stem Flea Beetles in oilseed rape; and a robot to monitor grain quality held in bulk storage.

UK Farming Minister Victoria Prentis said: “I congratulate the UKRI for their Transforming Food Production challenge and all the recipients of the funding. As a passionate advocate for tackling the farming and food industries’ greatest challenges it’s fantastic to see so many innovative projects being supported to help the sector grow with reduced environmental impact and less food waste.”