Green Groups Relieved as Release of Genetically Engineered Mosquitoes Averted in California

“All Californians should be relieved that this permit request has been withdrawn for the foreseeable future,” said one Friends of the Earth project manager.

In what green groups on Friday called “a victory for environmentalists, scientists, and vulnerable agricultural communities across California,” state officials announced a day earlier that a controversial release of genetically engineered mosquitoes in the Central Valley has been suspended.

The California Department of Pesticide Regulation (DPR) said Thursday that Oxitec, a U.S.-owned, U.K.-based biotechnology company that develops genetically engineered (GE) insects, withdrew a research authorization application to conduct a field pilot test of a new type ofAedes aegypti, a mosquito species that in its natural form can spread dengue fever, chikungunya, Zika fever, Mayaro and yellow fever viruses, and other disease agents.

Oxitec, which touts its GE mosquitoes as “an alternative to the use of conventional pesticides,” planned to study the insects’ efficacy at reducing the current Aedes aegypti population in Tulare County.

“The withdrawal of Oxitec’s application is a victory for California residents and wild species,” Rebecca Spector, West Coast director at Center for Food Safety, said in a statement. “This withdrawal is in line with leaders from our state Legislature who demanded a more comprehensive review of the impacts of these genetically engineered mosquitoes before the approval of this permit.”