12/April/22

 

Soon, millions of genetically engineered mosquitoes could be set loose in California in an experiment recently approved by the federal government. Oxitec, a private company, says its GM bugs could help save half the world’s population from the Aedes aegypti mosquito, which can spread diseases such as yellow fever, chikungunya and dengue to humans. Female offspring produced by these modified insects will die, according to Oxitec’s plan, causing the population to collapse. But scientists independent of the company are critical of the proposal. They say unleashing the experimental creatures into nature has risks that haven’t yet been fully studied, including possible harm to other species or unexpectedly making the local mosquito population harder to control. Even scientists who see the potential of genetic engineering are uneasy about releasing the transgenic insects into neighbourhoods because of how hard such trials are to control. And California has never had a case in which an Aedes aegypti was found to transmit disease. LA Times

 

 

Eggs from hens that come from genetically modified breeding hens should be labelled accordingly. This is the opinion of 85 percent of respondents in a representative survey commissioned in Germany by the GMO-free industry association VLOG shortly before Easter. Seventy percent would not buy such GM eggs. According to an internal letter, an official of the EU Commission considers that neither approval procedures nor GMO labelling for these GMO eggs and laying hens are necessary. VLOG Managing Director Alexander Hissting commented, "Hiding eggs is a popular Easter tradition. Hiding genetic engineering in eggs, on the other hand, is not well received at all. The survey shows once again: People want to know how their food is produced." VLOG