GE Mosquito Makes Floridians Part of Oxitec's Grand Experiment

Food & Water Watch, Statement from Wenonah Hauter, Executive Director, Food Water Watch

"The Florida Keys Mosquito Control District meets tomorrow to discuss the application from British firm Oxitec to release genetically engineered mosquitoes in the Florida Keys.

"We cannot stress strongly enough how dangerously misguided this application is. Oxitec hopes to use the neighborhoods and precious ecosystem of the Keys as their private, for-profit laboratory. The shame of it is, the company has no evidence the GE mosquitoes will even work in their stated aim of controlling Dengue fever. This feels much more like Oxitec testing its living, breeding technology than a serious attempt to control disease, and the people of Florida deserve protection.

"The Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Biology in Germany said in February that the 'risk assessment' conducted in advance of the release of Oxitec's GE mosquitoes in another country has been 'scientifically deficient' and made 'questionable pivotal scientific assertion

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Genetic Engineering: A Worldwide Experiment on People, Agriculture and Nature

Greenpeace
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For related articles and more information, please visit OCA's Resource Center on Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology or our Millions Against Monsanto Campaign page.

Genetic engineering is a threat to food security, especially in a changing climate. The introduction of genetically manipulated organisms by choice or by accident grossly undermines sustainable agriculture and in so doing, severely limits the choice of food we can eat.

Once GE plants are released into the environment, they are out of control. If anything goes wrong - they are impossible to recall.

GE contamination threatens biodiversity respected as the global heritage of humankind, and one of our world's fundamental keys to survival.

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