A total of 18 European environmental organisations are collaborating to complain and hopefully prevent a British company from releasing 1.8 million transgenic flies into Spain.
The genetically engineered fly would set out to destroy the native Olive Fly which has been destroying crops in some areas of the country. Around 5,000 flies would be released each week in an area of 1,000 square metres near to Tarragona, but there are concerns that the flies could escape and spread further, resulting in a massive reduction in the native species and considerable damage to the biodiversity and ecosystem of the country.
One association warns that in the event of the flies coming into contact with organic farmed crops, the farmers would lose their certification and that would damage consumer confidence.
Greenpeace has described it as a “dangerous experiment” that would “turn Europe into a outdoor laboratory”.