Soldatflue had planned a 30,000 ton production to meet the demand for insect larvae for salmon feed.
Norwegian black soldier fly producer, Soldatflue, has decided to abandon its planned investment in insect production in northern Norway.
The project, which was expected to create 50 jobs and contribute to sustainable feed for the farming industry, is now shelved, according to Norwegian media outlet, Avisa Nordland.
The multimillion-dollar plan involved producing soldier fly larvae at the Galtneset industrial area in Meløy, initially intended to generate employment opportunities in the region.
Founder Ole Torrissen expressed disappointment and frustration over the decision.
“It hurts to put our plans in the bin. It hurts because it could have contributed to sustainable feed for the farming industry, and around fifty jobs in Meløy that absolutely need new jobs. And it pisses me off when I see that many new insect producers are popping up in Europe targeting the Norwegian market for fish feed.”
The soldier fly project first started its initial phase in September 2019 at Åmøya in Meløy. The company transitioned from research and development to pilot production in July 2021, with plans to build a full-scale factory producing 30,000 tons of larvae for salmon feed. The completion of the factory was scheduled for 2023.
However, bureaucratic hurdles impeded the project’s progress. A critical factor leading to its discontinuation was the Ministry of Trade and Fisheries’ (NFD) final rejection of a research permit application submitted by Nova Sea, a collaboration partner.
This permit was essential for the development of ingredients from insect larvae as feed for salmon.
“If we had received this research permit, we could have started by producing 10,000 tons of larvae per year and had the opportunity to carry out research and development in an industrial environment. Without this permission, the risk becomes too great, and thus it is not financially sound to build the factory,” Torrissen told Avisa Nordland.
