The sterile insect technique: an international framework to facilitate transboundary shipments of sterile insects

The sterile insect technique (SIT) has been successfully used since the 1950s as part of an integrated pest management approach in large-scale programmes to prevent, contain, suppress and eradicate key insect pests in many countries throughout the world. During this period, over one trillion live sterile insects have been shipped across borders. The very few adverse incidents from this significant trade were managed and resulted in no significant impacts. The phytosanitary and zoosanitary requirements by importing countries have been simple, facilitating the transboundary shipment of sterile insects, which is carried out mostly under the framework of cooperative agreements between the governments of the countries involved, and under technical cooperation projects of the United Nations. However, the shipment of sterile insects from sources outside this governmental framework, including public-private facilities, has been complicated, despite the availability of harmonised international guidelines in some cases, such as those for fruit flies. The SIT has great potential for the control of endemic pests or against the growing threat of invasive pests that can affect whole regions and even continents. Since SIT is species-specific, with negligible risk of introducing unwanted invasive species to the environment, and with the advantage of reducing insecticide use, a harmonised framework that recognises the low risk of SIT would facilitate shipments of sterile insects across borders and help to expand the use of this effective and environmentally friendly technology. The scope of this paper is limited to insects that have been sterilised using ionising radiation.