Figure: Mosquito - Photo Source: Oxitec.

Oxitec, the US-owned company developing safe, sustainable biological control tools, has announced that the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Experimental Use Permit (EUP) to pilot our Friendly™ Aedes aegypti mosquito technology in the U.S. has been published in the Federal Register following approval in May. The technology provides a responsible method of controlling insect pests that damage crops and spread diseases such as dengue, Zika, chikungunya, and yellow fever.

Following the publication of the EUP in the Federal Register, Oxitec also announced that the technology received unanimous approval by seven State of Florida departments and agencies, including the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services (FDACS), the Florida Department of Health, the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, and the Florida Department of Environmental Protection. The approvals pave the way for a pilot project of Oxitec's Friendly™ Aedes aegypti mosquito technology (OX5034) in the Florida Keys.

The approvals were given to the technology after federal and state regulators carried out exhaustive scientific reviews to confirm that Friendly™ mosquitoes pose no risks to human health or the environment, including fish and other aquatic life, birds, bats, plants, invertebrates, or endangered species.

For more details, read the news releases from Oxitec.