Guideline for packing, shipping, holding and release of sterile flies in area-wide fruit fly control programmes

This guideline is an updated version of the one published in 2007. It is aimed at providing harmonized processes involved in the handling and release of sterile insects after production in mass rearing facilities to FAO or International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) member countries that want to embark on sterile insect technique (SIT) activities. There is also increased interest by the private sector in investing in sterile insect production and/or other SIT activities, and these harmonized guidelines on the post-production phase will facilitate SIT application and foster the commercialization of the SIT. This guideline resulted from two FAO/IAEA consultants' meetings with representatives of relevant SIT programmes, the first held in Sarasota, Florida, United States of America (April 2004) and the second in Vienna, Austria (August 2005). It also resulted from an in depth review of the first edition, conducted in 2014 and 2015 by SIT program managers and scientists working with SIT technology.