Probenda is the first German company to be allowed to produce farm animal feed from insects

The EU recently cleared the way for such a procedure. The company's feed is intended to be more regional and sustainable than conventional protein sources such as soy or fishmeal.

The Hessian start-up Probenda GmbH, based in Pfungstadt, was the first and so far only German company to receive the approval required to produce pig and chicken feed from the black soldier fly. The company is dedicated to the production of livestock feed from insects. The EU Parliament only cleared the way for such ventures in September 2021. Previously, the protein-rich insects could only be used to feed fish in aquacultures.

The company has been producing proteins from the larvae of the fly as animal feed since mid-2021. The company has already set up a pilot plant in Pfungstadt. In the plant, the start-up breeds the larvae until they reach their final weight using regional residues. It aims to produce around 50 tons of protein meal per year. The company had set itself the goal of building a plant capable of growth and gaining knowledge about the breeding of the black soldier fly. The next plant is already being planned. The company wants to produce around 1000 tons per year in this facility. The founders are now looking for partners and investors.

"With our products, we offer a real alternative to the previously common sources of protein, soy and fish meal, in the animal feed sector," explains Luisa Benning, who founded the company together with her husband Christian Benning at the beginning of 2020. According to the company, the use of regional waste materials in insect farming is an important building block for achieving a functioning circular economy in food production.