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While the concept of insect based feeds (IBFs) promises great potential, especially in developing countries, the sustainability performance of IBF production remains widely underexplored. Drawing on experimental data from rearing trials in West Africa, three different insect production systems were modelled ex-ante. The generic models served as a basis to analyse and compare the process performances of different IBF production systems using Musca domestica and Hermetia illucens reared on different substrates. The results show that the input efficiency in the production of IBF is largely determined by the quality of rearing substrates, the larval development time and the employed inoculation practises, i.e., the method by which eggs or larvae are added to rearing substrates. The H. illucens system ranked highest for conversion efficiency (substrate input per IBF output), but showed substantially higher inputs in labour, fossil energy and output of wastewater. M. domestica systems operated at lower conversion efficiencies, which resulted in higher outputs of residue substrates, together with higher emissions, land requirements, built infrastructure and water. By offering full disclosure of generic inventory data, this study provides data and inspiration for prospect research and development activities and offers a reference to future life cycle assessments (LCAs) on IBF.

Life cycle assessment (LCA) has become a common methodology to analyze environmental impacts of forestry systems. Although LCA has been widely applied to forestry since the 90s, the LCAs are still often based on generic Life Cycle Inventory (LCI). With the purpose of improving LCA practices in the forestry sector, we developed a European Life Cycle Inventory of Forestry Operations (EFO-LCI) and analyzed the available information to check if within the European forestry sector national differences really exist. We classified the European forests on the basis of "Forest Units" (combinations of tree species and silvicultural practices). For each Forest Unit, we constructed the LCI of their forest management practices on the basis of a questionnaire filled out by national silvicultural experts. We analyzed the data reported to evaluate how they vary over Europe and how they affect LCA results and made freely available the inventory data collected for future use. The study shows important variability in rotation length, type of regeneration, amount and assortments of wood products harvested, and machinery used due to the differences in management practices. The existing variability on these activities sensibly affect LCA results of forestry practices and raw wood production. Although it is practically unfeasible to collect site-specific data for all the LCAs involving forest-based products, the use of less generic LCI data of forestry practice is desirable to improve the reliability of the studies. With the release of EFO-LCI we made a step toward the construction of regionalized LCI for the European forestry sector.

Citation for published item:o'eisD wrtin nd ke(eldD wureen ilizeth nd elmeidD ton nd elves ldD tin quel nd heviD imilie nd uon¡ eD x9qolop¡ e nd uenisD wr nd xmoD idou nd pithesD iline ghrlotte nd uokoD qriel uFhF nd wthijsD irik nd ehtenD outer wFtF nd wuysD frt @PHIVA 9vife yle ost ssessment of inset sed feed prodution in est efriF9D tournl of lener produtionFD IWW F ppF UWPEVHTF Further information on publisher's website: httpsXGGdoiForgGIHFIHITGjFjleproFPHIVFHUFIUW Publisher's copyright statement: c 2018 This manuscript version is made available under the CC-BY-NC-ND 4.0 license http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/ Use policyThe full-text may be used and/or reproduced, and given to third parties in any format or medium, without prior permission or charge, for personal research or study, educational, or not-for-prot purposes provided that:• a full bibliographic reference is made to the original source • a link is made to the metadata record in DRO • the full-text is not changed in any way The full-text must not be sold in any format or medium without the formal permission of the copyright holders.Please consult the full DRO policy for further details. a. Division Forest, Nature and Landscape, KU Leuven, Leuven B-3001, Belgium; martin.roffeis@kuleuven.be (M.R.) 6 b. Institute for Environmental Management and Land-use Planning, Université libre de Bruxelles, Brussels B-1050, Belgium; 7 wouter.achten@ulb.ac.be 8 c. ABSTRACT 24While there is a growing body of research investigating the technical feasibility and nutritional properties 25 of insect based feeds (IBFs), thus far little attention has been devoted to gauge the economic implications 26 of implementation. This study has investigated the economic performance of ex-ante modelled IBF 27 production systems operating in the geographical context of West Africa. A Life Cycle Cost (LCC) analysis 28 of recently published life cycle inventory (LCI) data served as a basis to analyse and compare the economic 29 performances of IBF production systems using Musca domestica and Hermetia illucens reared on different 30 substrates. To gauge the application potential of IBF in West Africa, estimated breakeven sale prices of 31 IBFs were benchmarked against the customary market prices of conventional feeds. The results show that 32 the economic performance of IBF production in West Africa is largely determined by the costs attributed 33 to labour and the procurement of rearing substrates, attesting economic advantages to the production of M. 34 domestica larvae by measure of breakeven price (1.28 -1.74 EUR/ kg IBF) and LCC (1.72 -1.99 EUR/ kg 35 IBF). A comparison of the breakeven sale prices of IBF with market prices of conventional feeds suggest 36 that IBF has potential to substitute imported fishmeal, but findings offer no support for conjectured 37 economic advantages over plant based feeds. 38

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chinch bugs have been detected in large sunken dead patches of St. Augustinegrass (Stenotaphrum secundatum) lawns in different locations of Lisbon and Setubal districts, in Portugal. Based on morphological and molecular studies, using mitochondrial Cytochrome C Oxidase subunit I (COI) gene, the collected insects were identified as Blissus insularis (Hemiptera, Heteroptera, Blissidae). This is the first record of this noxious chinch bug species in Europe and in the Palaearctic region.

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