EU Regulation 2021/1925 (November 2021) — Silkworm (Bombyx mori) PAPs Added to Authorised Insect Species
As part of the EU legislation on animal by-products (i.e. Regulation (EU) 2021/1925), adopted November 2021, the EU legislator authorised the use of silkworm (Bombyx mori) processed animal proteins (PAPs) in aquaculture, poultry and pig feed, expanding the list of authorised insect species from seven to eight.
The Eight Authorised Species (Post-November 2021)
| # | Common name | Scientific name |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Black soldier fly | Hermetia illucens |
| 2 | Common housefly | Musca domestica |
| 3 | Yellow mealworm | Tenebrio molitor |
| 4 | Lesser mealworm | Alphitobius diaperinus |
| 5 | House cricket | Acheta domesticus |
| 6 | Banded cricket | Gryllodes sigillatus |
| 7 | Jamaican field cricket | Gryllus assimilis |
| 8 | Silkworm | Bombyx mori ← added by Reg 2021/1925 |
Source
pdf-raw/insect-protein-2026/ipiff-insects-eu-legislation-overview.html (IPIFF Guide on Good Hygiene Practices for EU producers of insects as food and feed, November 2022 update, noting that as of November 2021 silkworm was added). Cross-referenced with Argenta A110 regulatory review (April 2026, international-animalhealth.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/A110-Argenta-Finished.pdf) which provides the cross-jurisdiction summary.
Significance
The silkworm addition is significant because:
- Bombyx mori is a traditionally-reared insect in Europe (silk industry, with long-established by-product streams — pupae, spent moths).
- Silkworm PAPs have favourable amino acid profiles for aquafeed (high lysine, methionine) and are already used in parts of Asia for aquaculture.
- The 2021/1925 addition validated the EU's "incremental authorisation" pattern — instead of waiting for a comprehensive review of all insect species, the regulator can add species one-by-one as EFSA opinions and operational experience accumulate.
Pet Food Note
While pet food (dogs, cats) is not explicitly listed in Reg 2021/1925, the Commission historically treats pet food as a more permissive category than livestock feed under the EU TSE feed-ban framework. The pre-existing pet food market for insect PAPs in Europe was the first commercial scale use of insect protein in animal feed even before the 2017 aquaculture authorisation, and remains the most accessible market for new insect-derived ingredients.
For the predecessor 2017 aquafeed authorisation, see eu_2017_893_aquaculture_first_authorization_insect_pap. For the 2021 poultry + pig feed authorisation (Reg 2021/1372), see eu_2021_1372_poultry_pig_insect_pap.