After receiving the approval of the building permit, the construction work started on March 16, 2020. The technology used in the FARMŸNG project was developed by Ÿnsect, with 350 patents filed to safeguard project-related innovations. It is already up and running at the first Ÿnsect site in Dôle, in the Jura region of eastern France, which has a capacity to produce up to 30 tonnes a month. FARMŸNG will optimise the entire process at the new Poulainville plant on the outskirts of Amiens and boost monthly output to over 1,500 tonnes of protein.
The Amiens site will spearhead Industry 4.0. The fully automated facility will use vertical farming techniques to save both energy and space. It will also feature a wide array of data sensors enabling Ÿnsect teams to develop predictive models to track insect productivity and growth. Despite Covid-19 related restrictions, the construction of the building has progressed quite well; the future performance production remains as expected. A ground-breaking ceremony was organised in early May 2021, with high profiles guests in attendance, such as Ministers of Agriculture, Environment & ecology and Digital transition.
Ÿnsect has gained approval for its natural insect fertiliser ‘ŸnFrass’ issued by ANSES, the French Agency for Food, Environmental and Occupational Health & Safety on the 3rd March 2020. The fertiliser is derived from the insect by-product (or frass) of the mealworm Tenebrio Molitor. The product is the fruit of 4 years of research and development between Ÿnsect and several leading institutions and it can now be used in organic farming in accordance with regulation no. 384/2007.
A Stakeholder & market analysis was delivered by the partners, demonstrating the strong demand in Europe, East Asia and North America for ŸnFarm insect based products. As for scientific results on the Tenebrio molitor breeding strategy and the quality assessment of insect based products, they were addressed through conference papers and research articles in specialised dissemination outlets.
