Our scientists are introducing a foreign insect species into the UK ecosystem to combat a foreign plant introduced into the UK ecosystem. The insect is a psyllid called Aphalara itadori.
Even though there are *cough* safeguards in place to prevent escape which seem to rely on chemically nuking the site if an escape is suspect how they can monitor all these itty bitty creatures on a 24 hour basis is beyond me. No mention of making them sterile or having liitle monitoring tags around their ankles. The winds we have here could blow them miles away from their curfew sites and into the wild. Hell, they will probably get lost when being couriered to their new home.
Some times policies have the words unintended consequences stamped on them. This is one of those times.
This happened in Australia but I can’t remember the creatures – think they were can toads. Then they need the exterminator of the exterminator.
James,
I’ve heard that one before.
It has happened here in the UK before as well. They do it for good reasons and it goes wrong. They will never learn.