FarmInsect and the EIC Accelerator: Insect Feed That Never Paid

FarmInsect, founded in 2020 and based in Bergkirchen near Munich, sold livestock farmers automated units to rear black soldier fly larvae on farm and food residues, producing protein feed and fertiliser on site. Its EIC project promised that a farmer could produce up to 1,000 tonnes of larvae a year "at €800 vs. 1.350€/t of fishmeal", cutting dependence on global feed markets, according to CORDIS.

The European Innovation Council granted €2,499,999 towards a €3.58 million project from January 2023 to December 2024. The final report lists breeding programmes, feeding trials in poultry and pigs, automated climate control, feeding and harvesting, and a system for transporting young larvae, and says the business model "can be both profitable and environmentally sustainable". In March 2026 FarmInsect filed for insolvency, citing low soy and fishmeal prices, high production costs and a delayed financing tranche. By August 2026 no buyer had been found and operations had stopped, the administrator told agrarheute.

What Happened to FarmInsect

The Munich local court opened insolvency proceedings on 25 March 2026, according to register publications shown by North Data. The administrator first said the technology was mature and FarmInsect was "close to" cost parity with fishmeal, and set up a sale process to end in May. Talks with several bidders failed, and the business was wound down. Its main distribution partner, the agribusiness group Agravis, had already suspended their joint venture in September 2025, citing weak demand, lack of competitiveness and regulatory hurdles, Aquaculture Magazine reported.

The Technology: Larvae on the Farm

Black soldier fly larvae eat organic residues such as grape and elderberry pomace and turn them into protein and fat, leaving frass that can be used as fertiliser. FarmInsect's model placed rearing units on farms, supplied with young larvae by a dedicated transport system, with sensors and machine learning to manage climate and feeding. The project also claimed that insect feed reduces feather pecking in chickens and tail biting in pigs; the report does not publish trial data.

What the EIC Project Promised, and What CORDIS Shows

The engineering promised was delivered. The economic promise, larvae at €800 a tonne against €1,350 for fishmeal, was not reached before the company failed. The report's claim that the model was validated as profitable was contradicted within little more than a year by the insolvency. CORDIS lists the project as closed.

1. Automation and breedingDeliveredPer final report.
2. Feeding trialsDeliveredPoultry and pigs.
3. Cheaper than fishmealNot reached"Close to" parity, 2026.
4. A viable businessFailedInsolvent, closed.

The Money

About €16.2 million of equity and public funding went into FarmInsect since 2020, agrarheute reported. In late 2025 its share capital rose from €75,875 to €2.49 million and it registered a supervisory board, according to register publications, months before the insolvency. The immediate trigger was a delay in paying out "a firmly agreed financing tranche". What creditors, including public funders, will recover is not public.

What Cannot Be Checked

Why Europe Should Care

Aquaculture Magazine counts FarmInsect among at least seven high-profile insect protein failures since 2025, including France's Ÿnsect and Denmark's Enorm. Public funders backed the sector's promise to replace imported soy and fishmeal, and the prices never worked.

The Verdict

FarmInsect's insolvency administrator and the EIC have not been asked for comment for this article. It is based entirely on public records and published statements, linked throughout.