Millions of GMO Insects Set for Release in Florida Keys
As war wages over the genetic modification of the food supply, mega biotech companies have already begun launching campaigns to release millions of GMO insects in the Florida Keys region.
With petitions against the release already amassing 130,000 signatures, British researchers are currently seeking government approval to initiate the unprecedented release. It was back in December of 2014 that we first revealed to you that these mosquitoes were already being shipped inside the United States, showing the confidence of the biotech lobbyists and researchers that they are in fact going to be granted the stamp of approval by the Food and Drug Administration to release the GMO insects.
As the Washington Post reports, we are entering into a whole new territory of genetically modified creations:
“Enter Oxitec, a British biotech firm that patented a method of breeding Aedes aegypti with fragments of genes from the herpes simplex virus and E. coli bacteria as well as coral and cabbage. This synthetic DNA is commonly used in laboratory science and is thought to pose no significant risks to other animals, but it kills mosquito larvae.
Oxitec’s lab workers manually remove modified females, aiming to release only males, which don’t bite for blood like females do. The modified males then mate with wild females whose offspring die, reducing the population.
Oxitec has built a breeding lab in Marathon and hopes to release its mosquitoes in a Key West neighborhood this spring.”
With the seemingly-imminent roll out of GMO pigs alongside the release of genetically modified insects within the United States, it is now obvious that the new war over the supply exists not only over staple crops and seeds — but the oncoming wave of genetically augmented animal and insect life.
Would you be concerned with being stung by a genetically modified mosquito? Voice your opinion in the comments below.Â
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