SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY SELECT COMMITTEE Genetically Modified Insects Oral and Written evidence Contents Advisory Committee on Releases to the Environment (ACRE) – Written evidence (GMI0014) 4 Advisory Committee on Releases to the Environment (ACRE), Dr Jeremy Sweet, Sweet Environmental Consultants, and Oxitec Limited – Oral evidence (QQ 26-38)......................... 11 Agricultural Biotechnology Council (abc) – Written evidence (GMI0018) ............................... 26 Agricultural and Horticultural Development Board (AHDB) – Written evidence (GMI0015) .. 32 Dr Marcia Almeida de Melo, Federal University of Campina Grande, Dr Professor Paulo Paes de Andrade, Federal University of Pernambuco and Dr Amaro de Castro Lira Neto, State Institute for Agronomy (IPA) – Written evidence (GMI0006) .................................................. 37 Professor Luke Alphey, The Pirbright Institute, Professor Paul Eggleston, Keele University, and Professor Austin Burt, Imperial College London – Oral evidence (QQ 48-55) .................. 38 BioIndustry Association (BIA) – Written evidence (GMI0026) ................................................. 54 British Ecological Society (BES) – Written evidence (GMI0024) .............................................. 58 British Ecological Society (BES), Dr Sarah Hartley, University of Nottingham, and Sciencewise – Oral evidence (QQ 16-25) ...................................................................................................... 67 Buglife, The Invertebrate Conservation Trust – Written evidence (GMI0011) ....................... 68 Buglife, The Invertebrate Conservation Trust and Nuffield Council on Bioethics – Oral evidence (QQ 56-64) ................................................................................................................ 71 Buglife, The Invertebrate Conservation Trust – Supplementary written evidence (GMI0031) .................................................................................................................................................. 87 Professor Austin Burt, Imperial College London, Professor Luke Alphey, The Pirbright Institute, and Professor Paul Eggleston, Keele University – Oral evidence (QQ 48-55) .......... 93 Professor Tim Dafforn, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills (BIS), Innovate UK, and Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council (BBSRC)—Research Council UK – Oral evidence (QQ 1-15) ........................................................................................................... 94 Dr Amaro de Castro Lira Neto, State Institute for Agronomy (IPA), Dr Marcia Almeida de Melo, Federal University of Campina Grande and Dr Professor Paulo Paes de Andrade, Federal University of Pernambuco – Written evidence (GMI0006) ....................................... 95 Professor Paul Eggleston, Keele University, Professor Austin Burt, Imperial College London, and Professor Luke Alphey, The Pirbright Institute – Oral evidence (QQ 48-55) .................... 96 European Commission – Oral evidence (QQ 87-99) ................................................................ 97 Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation – Written evidence (GMI0027)...................................... 110 1 Government – The Department of Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) and the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills (BIS) – Written evidence (GMI0022) ......... 113 Government – Mr George Eustice MP, Minister of State for Farming, Food and the Marine Environment, Defra, and Mr George Freeman MP, Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Life Sciences, BIS and DH – Oral evidence (QQ 75-86) ..................................................... 117 Government – Mr George Freeman MP, Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Life Sciences, BIS and DH, and Mr George Eustice MP, Minister of State for Farming, Food and the Marine Environment, Defra – Oral evidence (QQ 75-86) ................................................ 134 Sarah Hartley BSc, PhD, University of Nottingham – Written evidence (GMI0023) .............. 135 Dr Sarah Hartley, University of Nottingham, Sciencewise, and the British Ecological Society (BES) – Oral evidence (QQ 16-25) .......................................................................................... 142 Innovate UK – Written evidence (GMI0008) .......................................................................... 143 Innovate UK, Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council (BBSRC)—Research Council UK, and Professor Tim Dafforn, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills (BIS) – Oral evidence (QQ 1-15) ......................................................................................................... 148 Institute for Science, Innovation and Society (InSIS) – Written evidence (GMI0030) ........... 149 Professor Anthony James, University of California – Written evidence (GMI0004).............. 153 Professor John Mumford, Imperial College London, Dr Jack Stilgoe, University College London, and Professor Paulo Paes de Andrade, Federal University of Pernambuco, Brazil – Oral evidence (QQ 39-47) ....................................................................................................... 156 National Institutes of Bioscience (NIB) – Written evidence (GMI0012) ................................ 157 Nuffield Council on Bioethics – Written evidence (GMI0020) ............................................... 169 Nuffield Council on Bioethics and Buglife, The Invertebrate Conservation Trust – Oral evidence (QQ 56-64) .............................................................................................................. 173 Oxitec Ltd – Written evidence (GMI0016) ............................................................................. 174 Oxitec Limited, Advisory Committee on Releases to the Environment (ACRE), and Dr Jeremy Sweet, Sweet Environmental Consultants – Oral evidence (QQ 26-38) ................................ 193 Oxitec Ltd – Supplementary written evidence (GMI0029) .................................................... 194 Oxitec Ltd – Further supplementary written evidence (GMI0033) ....................................... 197 Dr Professor Paulo Paes de Andrade, Federal University of Pernambuco, Dr Amaro de Castro Lira Neto, State Institute for Agronomy (IPA) and Dr Marcia Almeida de Melo, Federal University of Campina Grande – Written evidence (GMI0006) ............................................. 199 Professor Paulo Paes de Andrade, Federal University of Pernambuco, Brazil, Professor John Mumford, Imperial College London, and Dr Jack Stilgoe, University College London – Oral evidence (QQ 39-47) .............................................................................................................. 204 The Pirbright Institute – Written evidence (GMI0019) .......................................................... 218 Dr Rupert Read, University of East Anglia – Written evidence (GMI0002) ........................... 220 Research Councils UK (RCUK) – Written evidence (GMI0017) .............................................. 222 2 Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council (BBSRC)—Research Council UK, Professor Tim Dafforn, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills (BIS), and Innovate UK – Oral evidence (QQ 1-15) ...................................................................................................... 238 Rothamsted Research – Written evidence (GMI0007) .......................................................... 255 The Royal Entomological Society (RES) – Written evidence (GMI0021) ................................ 258 Sciencewise – Written evidence (GMI0005) .......................................................................... 264 Sciencewise, the British Ecological Society (BES), and Dr Sarah Hartley, University of Nottingham – Oral evidence (QQ 16-25) ............................................................................... 270 Sciencewise – Supplementary written evidence (GMI0028) ................................................. 283 Dr Jack Stilgoe, University College London, Professor Paulo Paes de Andrade, Federal University of Pernambuco, Brazil, and Professor John Mumford, Imperial College London – Oral evidence (QQ 39-47) ....................................................................................................... 285 Dr Jeremy Sweet, Sweet Environmental Consultants, Oxitec Limited, and Advisory Committee on Releases to the Environment (ACRE) – Oral evidence (QQ 26-38) ................ 286 Target Malaria – Written evidence (GMI0013) ...................................................................... 287 James Thackery, student at University of Sheffield – Written evidence (GMI0003) ............. 293 Wellcome Trust – Written evidence (GMI0025) .................................................................... 297 Professor Christopher Whitty, London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine – Oral evidence (QQ 65-74) .............................................................................................................. 302 Professor Christopher Whitty, London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine – Supplementary written evidence (GMI0032) ........................................................................ 317 3 Advisory Committee on Releases to the Environment (ACRE) – Written evidence (GMI0014) Advisory Committee on Releases to the Environment (ACRE) – Written evidence (GMI0014) Summary Our response to this inquiry reflects ACRE’s remit i.e. GMO regulation and environmental