Revolutionist nights - Stopping the Insect Industry
Tickets: € 0
I'm sure none of us imagined we'd be spending our evenings strategising about how to help insects, but here we are! Welcome to the cutting edge of activism.
Background
Insect farming boomed over the last two decades on a simple story. Insects would be raised on otherwise unusable food waste. People would eat insects instead of chicken, pork and beef, transforming the food system.
That is not how it has played out. In May 2026 the Stockholm Environment Institute, one of the world's most cited independent environmental research institutes, reviewed the evidence. The commercial farms it examined were not running on waste and the insects are mainly being used as animal feed. Insect farming has added another layer to the food system, bringing trillions of new animals into it.
Why now
Over the next few months, the Netherlands' largest insect farming company, Protix, is likely to seek a second round of rescue funding. The goal of this project, over the next six weeks, is simple: that Protix does not get rescued, that it goes bust like one of its main competitors in France, and that this deals a significant blow to an industry trying to establish itself. We're focusing primarily on the investors.
Phase one is a short tour of the Netherlands with two meetups, one in Utrecht and one in Amsterdam, pulling together stakeholders and everyone interested, alongside initial attempts to engage the investors.
Phase two, a few weeks from now, will likely be a protest tour outside the offices of the key investors who aren't engaging, bringing urgency, awareness and broader participation.
Since starting, the level of excitement and interest has been surprising. Who knew so many people care about insects!
Who's leading
Jonas Becker - ran broiler campaigns in Germany, now Head of Invertebrate Welfare at ICAW.
Ben Newman - led Animal Rising in the UK and co-founded Plant-Based Universities.
What this meetup is for
Build a network and community of people who want to learn about or be part of stopping the spread of the insect industry.
Hear from people already doing this work, discuss strategy, and find ways to contribute.
Have a great time!
The plan for the evening
Ideally everyone reads the current strategy document beforehand so we're all on the same page
6:30pm - Arrive, meet people, mingle.
7:00pm - A 5–10 min talk from Jonas & Ben on the current project, plus others doing valuable insect work.
7:20pm - Break-out groups: introduce yourself, why you're here, whether you want to contribute, and what you could do to help make sure Protix doesn't get another round of investment.
7:50pm - Groups share back their ideas and commitments.
8:00pm - Quick round-up, then drinks and mingling.
We'll also invite everyone to join the Netherlands Insects WhatsApp group which will be highly focused conversations only about stopping the Netherlands insect industry.
Jonas and Ben will also be around Friday morning to meet any potential stakeholders.
