If you’re after an environmentally friendly way to feed your pets – insect-based pet food might be the answer.
Vets are now urging pet owners to feed their furry friends a diet rich in insects.
The British Veterinary Association (BVA) have said that insect-based food might actually be better for your animals than prime steak.
The latest surveys say that pet-owners are really keen on the idea and would be willing to give the new creep-crawly diet a go.
And, while it’s not exactly a vegan alternative for your pets, eating insects appears to be much more palatable than killing cows, sheep or pigs for lots of people – and the environmental impact of producing insect-based food is far less.
The insects need no fertiliser or pesticides and produce very low emissions. Farmed insect protein is typically raised on human food waste.
Dutch insect farm, Protix, estimates that insect-based foods use just 2% of the land and 4% of the water per kg of protein compared with beef.
Pets are now estimated to be consuming 20% of all meat globally, so finding a sustainable way to cut that number would help everyone. And the good news is that the insect-food is actually really nutritious for your pets.
The slight catch is that insect-based pet food is pretty pricey. Some insect-based food in the UK is more expensive than luxury brands of pet food – so you need to be willing to invest.
Insects are already widely used in fish farms and poultry farms, and some UK firms are already selling pet food with up to 40% insect protein – so hopefully as it becomes a more widespread trend, the products will become more affordable.
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