Sue Rayment

BigSis (http://bigsis.tech) is a fast-growing UK agri-tech start-up that provides chemical-free insect control to farmers. Our solutions are based on the sterile insect technique (SIT) – releasing sterile males of the pest to mate with wild females which then have no offspring. SIT is non-toxic biological control with nearly 70 years’ track record that can out-perform chemical insecticides, but remains niche due to the high cost of producing sterile male insects by conventional means BigSis uses robotics and AI to rear sterile male insects individually. This revolutionary platform technology transforms the economics of SIT, cutting costs by up to 90% and enabling a broad portfolio of commercially attractive new solutions to be developed. Moreover, BigSis uses local, non-GM strains to minimise regulatory hurdles so we get to market significantly faster and more cheaply than chemical or biotech insect control solutions. We aim to become the SIT category leader, substituting chemical insecticides with species-specific, non-toxic solutions that can increase crop yields, supporting regenerative agriculture. Our first solution controls the invasive fruit fly, spotted wing drosophila (SWD), which is particularly devastating for high-value fresh crops: blackberries, raspberries, blueberries, strawberries and cherries. Our world-first trial, in partnership with Berry Gardens cooperative and NIAB research institute, demonstrated season-long control and up to 91% suppression of SWD (https://doi.org/10.3390/insects13040328). BigSis is offering this solution as a season-long service, including release and monitoring. The high unmet need and simple adoption has created very strong traction from growers, fruit marketing firms and retailers. We are currently focused on scaling up production to meet this demand.