GMO mosquitoes have been the subject of many protests.
The GMO mosquito experiment has been going on for years now, and culminated in the release of the lab-created insects in Florida recently.
The insects were funded by a $4.1 million grant from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, but activists have questioned the possible health and environmental effects that may result.
Oxitec, the British company that created the mosquitoes, insists the mosquitoes are safe. Florida residents have previously said they’ve been tricked into allowing workers onto their property to release the experimental insects, adding to the controversy surrounding them.
Oxitec Withdraws California Application
On May 17, 2023, the website Beyond Pesticides shared a press release updating Oxitec’s attempted conquest of California.
After months of trying to break into California, Oxitec announced it is withdrawing its application to release billions of genetically engineered mosquitoes in California, according to an update from the California Department of Pesticide Regulation.
“Genetically engineered mosquitoes are an environmental justice issue for Tulare County residents who should not be human experiments,” said Angel Garcia, codirector of the statewide coalition Californians for Pesticide Reform, a press release.
“We are already impacted by some of the worst pollution problems in the state and deserve prior informed consent to being part of an open-air biopesticide experiment. Ahead of any future proposal for genetically engineered insects, DPR needs to have robust regulations in place that protect community members, and meaningful, inclusive public participation in any decision making.”
The first release of GMO mosquitoes occurred in the Brazilian town of Itaberaba.
The California news came on the heels of Cayman Islands officials walking back their original decision to release the GMO insects.
“The scheme wasn’t getting the results we were looking for,” the territory’s environmental health minister told the Edmonton Journal. There was further concern that the mosquitoes could be spreading antibiotic resistance or making mosquito-borne diseases worse by lowering individual immunity, Beyond Pesticides said.
Similar concerns were voiced in the United States, but warnings were ignored. Learn more in the full article from Beyond Pesticides by clicking here.
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