Sioned Davies
I grew up in mid-Wales as the 5th generation on our mixed sheep, beef, poultry, and arable farm, encompassing both upland and lowland terrain. Having studied Law at UCL and an MPhil at the University of Cambridge, I qualified as a barrister. My work now focuses on a broad mix of land use planning and environmental issues, grappling with ever-changing legal frameworks.
I am very grateful to Royal Welsh Agricultural Society supported by the Eira Francis Davies Bursary for their sponsorship.
Scaling insect protein production from a range of substrates, including on-farm chicken litter
Royal Welsh Agricultural Society
Study Overview
On the farm, we have been looking at the use of black soldier fly (“BSF”) as a bioconversion agent for a whole host of waste streams. This has included the potential for converting substrates such as food waste and poultry litter to a range of useful products, including for aquaculture, horticulture and pet food.
In the UK, BSF has untapped potential. The main barriers are substrate availability and regulation. I am excited to learn more about how insects are farmed elsewhere in the world, how we can sensibly create a regulatory framework balancing opportunity and risk, and how they can be deployed to solve a host of issues in UK agriculture, at scale.