Teagasc stands above tweets promoting edible insects despite growers’ anger

The tweet was not removed and the Independent Farming contacted Teagasc to clarify whether to tell farmers to expand production of edible insects instead of traditional animal protein sources.

“The resources Teagasc allocates to dairy, cattle, sheep, swine and crop research, education and advisory functions are substantially greater and will continue to be so,” said a spokesman.

“ValuSect is an EU-funded research project in which we are partners. To put it in perspective, it is one of over 500 research projects that Teagasc would be involved in at any time.”

The tweet caused an uproar among farmers; At the time of writing, it has been viewed by 137,400 accounts.

One farmer said, “@teagasc you can explain that pretty quickly, our subscriptions are due in a few weeks!”

ICSA Secretary General Eddie Punch wrote: “An odd direction for Teagasc resources. The first OECD report on alternative proteins found strong consumer resistance to insect protein and outright disgust.

“A year ago, the idea that people would be reduced to eating ultra-processed bugs was dismissed as conspiracy theory stuff.”

Trade in insects for food is limited in western countries, but the ValuSect consortium hopes it could be expanded widely.

dr Neves warned that the projected increase in the human population to 10 billion people by 2050 would result in a shortage of protein supplies.

“We need to … consider more sustainable sources of protein.

“This is how we bring our insects into play. Edible insects are known to be a great source of high-quality protein, as well as being high in vitamins, minerals and fatty acids.”