Fly farming
Over the many years that we have been building machines for the fishing, dairy, canning and meat processing industries, we have gained knowledge about all kinds of things. So we were not overly surprised when Melle, the founder of De Boer RVS, came up with an unusual idea. He wanted to create a fully automated fly farming unit. The unit essentially consists of a heated conveyor on which black soldier fly larvae, also known as phoenix worms, are bred. The larvae are fattened on waste from industries such as the food industry and can be processed as an ingredient for pet food. The system developed by De Boer RVS is a major improvement on current fly farming methods. It is also much better for the environment.
Why breed flies? Why not?
The perfect sustainable solution for pet food and animal feed
Black soldier fly larvae are a rich source of protein and fat. This makes them an ideal ingredient for pet food and feed products for chickens, pigs and fish. Animal feed typically contains components such as soy, palm oil and fishmeal. These products often have to be transported long distances and involve the destruction of tropical forests. Local fly farms are a far more sustainable solution. What’s more, the larvae can be fattened on waste from industries such as the food industry – because larvae are not fussy.
Fully automated fly farming
There are now several fly farms in Europe. But they grow larvae in containers, which is far more labour-intensive. The fly farming unit developed by De Boer RVS is fully automated. Black soldier fly eggs and feed are placed on an automatic conveyor so additional feed can be provided at any time. When the larvae reach their maximum size, they are harvested. The speed of the production process and daily production are both automatically controlled. Once harvested, the protein-rich larvae are blanched, pressed, dried and block frozen.
Many times more efficient than current farming methods
The fly farming unit developed by De Boer RVS is more efficient than the current container system in every way. It is less labour-intensive and requires less energy, water, space, time and manpower. There is no compromise in any area. Drying and freezing are also fully automated. This makes it cheaper to produce animal feed. But most importantly, this method is way more sustainable. The system is carbon neutral and uses waste that would otherwise be discarded. It also enables production on a local scale as the fly farming machine can be supplied with different production capacities. This makes the unit suitable for use on small farms. The system is built to last. With nothing to cause wear, it really is an investment in the future.
Interested in the progress of our fly farming unit?
The first trials and tests have been successfully completed. The machine has been shown to work perfectly. The larvae can be successfully harvested and processed within a period of ten days. De Boer RVS is still developing and optimising the machine. If you are interested to know how things are progressing, please feel free to call us on +31 (0)6 51 60 12 16 or email Melle at melle@deboerrvs.nl.