Are there any insect farms in Ireland?

snubbleste

Insects as food are becoming more popular as there are more cost-effective in delivering nutrition for animal & human consumption.

With this in mind, should we not diversify our palates and get an irish produced grasshopper burger or buffalo worm salad?

http://www.kreca.eu/
http://www.eatgrub.co.uk/

uch

McDonalds

artanevilla

I hope not.

snubbleste

OSI wrote: »

World renowned for our meat and dairy, of which we have an abundance, and you want to diversify into farming grasshoppers for burgers?

Why not?
The food island is what we're called.

artanevilla

snubbleste wrote: »

Why not?
The food island is what we're called.

When was the last time you saw a grasshopper in Ireland? It's to cold for anything interesting here.

Custardpi

I can see insects becoming a more popular protein source as the world's population continues to expand. There simply isn't enough land available to graze enough cattle, sheep etc to feed everyone. Many insects are actually grand to eat once you get over the "eugh" factor. That said, I'm not sure Ireland would have any particular advantage over other countries in insect agriculture.

snubbleste

artanevilla wrote: »

When was the last time you saw a grasshopper in Ireland? It's to cold for anything interesting here.

Well that's why you have a farm.
It's indoors and there is not a huge space required.

uch

And the Church wouldn't approve of the Woodlouse Orgies

darkpagandeath

Is there not a Flea circus somewhere down the country ? Does that count.

snubbleste

Custardpi wrote: »

I can see insects becoming a more popular protein source as the world's population continues to expand. There simply isn't enough land available to graze enough cattle, sheep etc to feed everyone. Many insects are actually grand to eat once you get over the "eugh" factor. That said, I'm not sure Ireland would have any particular advantage over other countries in insect agriculture.

Exactly. There is more protein in a kilo of insect than a kilo of beef and it is lower in fat.
Who'd have thought sushi would ever catch on the western world? The thought of it used to be 'eugh'

Custardpi

snubbleste wrote: »

Well that's why you have a farm.
It's indoors and there is not a huge space required.

Which means the cost of heating has to be added to your outgoings. In other countries e.g. in the Mediterranean these costs would be less, thus giving them a strong competitive advantage.

biko

Chocolate Covered Ants

coolkidirish

The Protein Works in the UK used sell flavoured insects but don't seem to anymore.

artanevilla

Custardpi wrote: »

Which means the cost of heating has to be added to your outgoings. In other countries e.g. in the Mediterranean these costs would be less, thus giving them a strong competitive advantage.

Plus I'd imagine the market here would be very small.

Birneybau

Google Search: Did you mean 'Incest farms'?

Badly Drunk Boy

snubbleste wrote: »

Who'd have thought sushi would ever catch on the western world? The thought of it used to be 'eugh'

The thought of sushi is still 'eugh' for loads of people, e.g. me.

Custardpi

artanevilla wrote: »

Plus I'd imagine the market here would be very small.

To be fair, that's only because of current cultural hangups about what does & does not constitute "food". If Ireland was an economically advantageous place to breed insects (which I don't believe it is) then an energetic promotional & marketing campaign to both both the domestic & external market by say An Bord Bía would probably go a long way to changing people's minds.

kneemos

Often wondered during the famine did people avail of other food sources such as birds,small animals such as rabbits or fish.Even slugs and worms might become appetising after a while without food.
Fish in particular,rivers and lakes must have been teeming with them.

Capt'n Midnight

There's a flutterby farm down in Straffan
http://www.straffanbutterflyfarm.com/



It's AH so
http://www.snopes.com/horrors/food/wormburger.asp

Ray Kroc, who bought McDonald's from Mac and Dick McDonald in 1955, added his own assurances: "We couldn't afford to grind worms into our meat," he countered. "Hamburger costs a dollar and a half a pound, and night crawlers six dollars."

Of course the question is how would McDonald's know how much the nigh crawlers cost unless they were looking into them :eek:

Custardpi

Capt'n Midnight wrote: »

Of course the question is how would McDonald's know how much the night crawlers cost unless they were looking into them? :eek:

Maybe Ray Kroc was a keen fisherman in his spare time. At those prices (adjusting for inflation of course) it sounds like worm burger would be a premium priced product. Pulled pork is getting old, could worm burgers become the new hipster food du jour?

Filmer Paradise

Well, there used to be a poster on here called Insect Overlord.

Where are you now.........when we need you????

artanevilla

Custardpi wrote: »

To be fair, that's only because of current cultural hangups about what does & does not constitute "food". If Ireland was an economically advantageous place to breed insects (which I don't believe it is) then an energetic promotional & marketing campaign to both both the domestic & external market by say An Bord Bía would probably go a long way to changing people's minds.

And I'm quite happy to follow those cultural hangups.

PARlance

artanevilla wrote: »

And I'm quite happy to follow those cultural hangups.

I don't know....
I'm a (potential grasshopper) sucker for an energetic promotional and marketing campaign.