Rally to stop Florida Keys GMO mosquito release

Press Advisory: Community members and environmental groups hold rally to stop Florida Keys from releasing GMO mosquitoes

Marathon, Florida A broad coalition of concerned community members and environmentalists will gather on June 16, for a rally and press conference to demand the Florida Keys Mosquito Control Board commit to not releasing GMO mosquitoes into their communities.

What: Rally with speakers, community members, and environmental organizations to demand that the Florida Keys Mosquito Control District not allow the release of GMO mosquitoes
Where:
Florida Keys Mosquito Control District, 503 107th Street (Gulf Side), Marathon, FL 33050
When:
1-2 pm EST, Tuesday, June 16, 2020
Who: Florida Keys residents will speak at the rally

In November 2016, Key Haven community members voted against the release of GMO mosquitoes. Monroe County is again considering partnering with Oxitec to conduct a field trial and release GMO mosquitoes into communities, which the coalition will protest.

Despite public outcry and scientific dispute, the EPA approved GMO mosquitoes for environmental release in Monroe County, Florida, and Harris County, Texas. If approved by the respective states and mosquito control boards, this would be the first genetically engineered mosquito allowed by regulators for release and would result in the release of 500 million mosquitoes over a 50-week period.

Further background on GMO mosquitoes is available at https://foe.org/news/amid-coronavirus-crisis-federal-approval-of-genetically-engineered-mosquito-ignores-risk/

Communications contact: Aisha Dukule, [email protected], 202-893-3502
Campaign contacts:
Florida Keys Environmental Coalition: Barry Wray, [email protected], 305-304-9898
Florida Keys Resident: Meagan Hull, [email protected], 305-834-1312
Friends of the Earth: Dana Perls, [email protected], 925-705-1074

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