About us

It is widely accepted that by 2050 the world will host 9 billion people. Land is scarce and expanding the area devoted to (conventional) farming is rarely a viable or sustainable option. Oceans are overfished and climate change and related water shortages could have profound implications for food production. To meet the food and nutrition challenges of today – there are nearly 1 billion chronically hungry people worldwide – and tomorrow, what we eat and how we produce it needs to be re-evaluated. Inefficiencies need to be rectified and food waste reduced. We need to find new ways of growing food. -  Future Prospects for Food and Feed Security - FAO. Rearing insects for human consumption in Australia needs to embrace the learnings from overseas in creating a viable industry that gives clear providence of product, worlds best practices farming practices and a product customers can trust.

Insects as food

Australian’s are getting into insects and the IPAA is experiencing an increase in members who are farming insects for food or who are producing Fast Moving Consumer Goods (FMCG) from insect products. In Australia insects for food are listed as a ‘non-traditional food’ as opposed to a ‘novel food’ which allows the farming and sale of insects. There are of course many traditionally eaten insects in Australia that our indigenous peoples still partake in, whether that be Bogong moths in ACT and NSW, Honeypot Ants or the famous Witchety Grubs of the arid zones.

Insects as feed

Insects are high in protein, fats and amino acids making them ideal feed ingredients for pork, poultry, aquaculture and pet foods. Insects are permissible as a feed ingredient in Australia, however how they are farmed, what waste streams can be used and how they must be processed and labelled varies in each state.

Insect by-products

Insects create a number of useful by-products. The most common are frass - insect manure, and oil - taken during the rendering process to make insect meal. Additionally by-products like chitin and lipids are being explored with research across the world.

Click here to review the current IPAA Strategy

Board Members

Read here for the Roles and Responsibilities of our board members

Duncan Rowland, chair

Duncan has worked in the intensive animal industries for 14 years prior to working with governments and other livestock industries at Animal Health Australia for 16 years in emergency animal disease response, biosecurity and product integrity. In 2018 he joined the animal feed industry as EO of both the Stock Feed Manufacturers and the Feed Ingredient and Additives Associations.

Duncan is a Graduate of the Australian Institute of Company Directors and presently sits on the Executive Committee of the Australian Oilseeds Federation. Duncan loves working with industry sectors to develop the building blocks required by its customers for product integrity and traceability.

MAUREEN CLARK, SECRETARiat

Maureen brings another external business lens to the Association having experience across large-scale retail food operations.  Without having a financial interest in any insect protein business or official education in the field, her interest and involvement comes from a backyard-enthusiast place.

Originally from a small farm in Canada and having travelled extensively, Maureen developed a personal love of insects whether to feed the chickens or to eat in a taco! A big believer in collaboration for the greater good, Maureen is committed to continue building the communication channels across the Association and the sector.

MARTIN PIKE, Treasurer

R&D, innovation and business optimisation specialist with experience in developing and growing businesses.

Passionate about sustainability, technology and mathematics. 

Managing Director of Viridian Renewable Technologies (VIC).

LUKE WHEAT, RESEARCH & DEVELOPMENT

Luke has an extensive background in marine science and conservation biology, and has a diverse range of experience - from marine sea turtle monitoring through to the operational management of an A class reserve.

Luke’s passion for sustainability and a strong scientific foundation will assist the IPAA in prioritising research objectives to drive policy and challenge legislative barriers.

PAULA-LEE POWNALL, board member, FOOD

Paula has experience in Agribusiness, Natural Resource Management, and food development. With a background in Agriculture, Paula understood that to feed the growing global population, we need to rethink how we produce and utilise food sources.

In 2016 she established Grubs Up, Western Australia’s first edible insect farm. Since starting the business, she has developed high protein insect-based food products, trialed various insect production methods and investigated the potential for alternative proteins.

In 2020 Paula was awarded a Nuffield Scholarship to investigate the commercial viability and framework needed to use Crickets as human food source. The journey has taken her to many places including Canada, USA, Germany, and India.

Paula is passionate about crickets and their nutritional benefits. She hopes to assist in knowledge sharing through collaboration across industry.

JEANNINE MALCOLM, SECRETARY

Jeannine is an experienced engineer with a love for sustainability and community development.

Jeannine co-founded Mobius Farms in 2020, the first commercial black soldier fly farm in South Australia to tackle the growing challenge of food waste.

Jeannine has extensive international insect industry networks and hopes to grow the sector in Australia through collaboration and knowledge sharing.  

volant Wills, board member, POLICY

Volant Wills is an executive Director / Operations /Factory /Maintenance Manager with over 15 years of experience improving processes for high profile manufacturing companies in the FMCG and Biotechnology Industries. 

Volant has held senior and executive positions over a vast number of years in Agri-food and Agtech areas, specialising in husbandry and commercial use of the Hermetia illucens (Black Soldier Fly) to process food waste at Agriprotein / Inseco and now Goterra (Australia).
Volant is part of the founding members, and previous Chairperson of SAMIRO (South African Mass Insect Rearing Organisation) and actively engages with international partners in the Industry.

Zachery Schubert, Social media

Zachery has been farming crickets since 2017 under Schubugs, in Loxton South Australia. His interest grew in the field through his studies of Nutrition at the University of South Australia. He has also spent time travelling through Asia for his sport, beach volleyball, which allowed him to discover insects being used for human consumption. Zachery wishes to use his experiences and nutritional studies to further enhance the industry.

Zachery provides up to date information about the industry through IPAA social media both nationally and internationally.

RICKY ATAYDE, EDUCATION

With a background in aquaculture Ricky has transitioned from marine invertebrates to terrestrial . He farms black soldier fly and other insects for the live pet industry.
As co-founder of ARC Entotech, Ricky is now focusing on developing new techniques for utilising insects for waste management.