The world\'s largest fly farm is about to open in South Africa as part of an initiative to produce a sustainable fishmeal replacement for aquaculture and poultry feeds.

In 2012, AgriProtein received funds from the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation to support its insect-based protein product and the company\'s commitment to waste solutions. The company produces MagMeal — a feed protein made from fly larvae that feeds on waste. The benefit of MagMeal is two-fold: It offers a sustainable, natural source of protein for farmed animals, and at the same time, helps to eliminate garbage.

“It is not different from what already happens in nature,” Jason Drew, the founder and director of AgriProtein told Business Insider UK. “The anomaly is what we do now — 30% of the fish we take is not consumed by humans, but rather fed to fishes or chickens. I mean, if a chicken was meant to eat fish it would be called a seagull.\"

AgriProtein, founded in 2009, started building its first industrial-scale factory in May 2014. The plant, which can house more than 8 billion flies and produce 22 tons of larvae every day, is set to open next month, according to Drew.

The new farm, located about 120 kilometres north of Cape Town, will be joined by another South African facility later this year.

“We are in talks to license our technology abroad,\" Drew says. \"We want to bring fly farming to the US, Latin America, Asia, and Australia. In 15 years, we could have 40 to 45 of these farms worldwide.”

Although AgriProtein has approval in South Africa, it is still banned in Europe.

[Source: Stefano Pozzebon, Business Insider. Full article]