Safety and sustainability

Despite the widespread use of insect control methods, including insecticides, over many years, vector- borne diseases are still rapidly increasing and crop damage continues. Our RIDL approach has been designed to be both sustainable and safe.

Sustainability

• Our approach relies on the natural mating instinct of a male insect which is more cost-effective, and uses less energy, than alternatives.
• RIDL is species-specific, unlike other control methods that will not distinguish between the target insect and other insects.
• There is no significant residual impact to the environment. If RIDL male insects are no longer released the target insect population is likely to recover.
• It can be used as part of a broad IVC (integrated vector control) programme or IPM (integrated pest management) but does not, in itself, involve the use of chemicals in the home or the environment.

 

 Safety

• Only male insects are released (male mosquitoes do not bite or spread disease).
• RIDL insects are sterile so introduced DNA sequences are not perpetuated in the target species.
• RIDL insects only mate with their own species, so introduced DNA sequences cannot spread by interbreeding.
• No toxins are introduced into the insects to cause sterility so there is no danger to birds or animals that eat them.
• We have developed novel molecular and other methods to ensure that introduced DNA sequences are firmly locked in place with no risk of ‘horizontal’ gene transfer.
• We comply with all relevant national and international legislation. Insects are only transported, evaluated in a laboratory or released into the environment when all relevant regulatory approvals have been met.