Oxitec has announced the approval from the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services (FDACS), including reviews from seven state agencies to continue the pilot project for its safe Aedes aegypti just-add-water mosquito control technology in the Florida Keys.

In March this year, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) approved the continuation of the pilot project as an extension of the Experimental Use Permit (EUP) granted in 2020. Oxitec submitted a permit application to FDACS for state review following the EPA federal approval, which has now been approved. The 2022 project is expected to launch the week of May 9th and will be carried out in partnership with the Florida Keys Mosquito Control District (FKMCD).

Oxitec will use the data from this pilot project in their application to the EPA for commercial approval of the technology. Oxitec's safe, sustainable, and targeted biological pest control technology does not harm beneficial insects such as bees and butterflies and is proven to control the invasive and disease transmitting A. aegypti mosquito that has invaded communities in Florida and other U.S. states, increasing the risk of transmission of dengue, chikungunya, Zika, yellow fever, and other diseases.

For more details, read the news release from Oxitec.