GreenPlanetFM Radio - listen to some experts talk about 1080 - tomorrow

GreenPlanetFM 104.6 Thursday 16th December 8-9am

Pat Whiting-OKeefe, Ph.D. & Quinn Whiting-OKeefe, M.D.

Speaking against the Poison - 1080.

Originally from Stanford Research Institute and University of California,
San Francisco in the USA with a considerable knowledge in chemistry and an
expertise in statistical inference in complex systems they have  focused
recently on the aerial poison drops of 1080 to kill possums.

1080 is called Sodium mono-fluoro-acetate and as a poison like cyanide, is
toxic to
all air-breathing organisms, but it is not an evil in itself.  The problem
is with the way DoC the Department of Conservation is using it by
blanketing the forest with food laced with 1080 that is attractive to most
native and feral animals, everything from worms, beetles, and wetas to
wekas and horses.

Clean green New Zealand is unique in the world in its use of aerial 1080. 
No other country is doing anything remotely similar to this.  New Zealand
uses over 85% of the world's supply of 1080, a poison that is toxic to all
animals, that is banned or severely restricted in most countries, and that
is classified "1A, extremely hazardous" by the World Health Organization.

In response to this, DoC the Department of Conservation asserts that New
Zealand is in a unique ecological position, but this is simply not true. 
For example, the State of Hawaii has an almost identical problem with
feral mammals threatening native birds, and we learned from Miles
Nakahara, Forest & Wildlife branch manager that Hawaii would not even
consider such a practice.  "You are pretty cavalier using a poison like
that . you will destroy the forest . you will lose the very thing you are
trying to save."  Similar circumstances exist on many of the Pacific
islands, and similar comments have been made by every non-Kiwi scientist
that has been consulted.

The perception here is that ecologists and ecological considerations are
being overturned, by marketing and accountancy factors, and that a true
understanding of what blanket covering of the ecology by 1080, does not
qualify as 'right practice' or the 'precautionary approach.' Especially
when the science is not robust. With 70 million possums nation wide being
unacknowledged as a resource they are instead being poisoned and left to
decompose on the forest floor.

There are other ways to resolve this troublesome problem and a robust
public debate needs to be convened to bring clarity as soon as possible.

Pat Whiting-OKeefe, Ph.D. & Quinn Whiting-OKeefe, M.D.

Speaking against the Poison 1080.

GreenplanetFM104.6 Thursday16th 8-9am

With Tim Lynch in Mobilising Consciousness

www.stop1080poison.com
www.thegrafboys.org
www.kaka1080.co.nz

And for a Federated Farmers and Forest and Bird web site which defends the
use of 1080 and the status quo.

http://www.1080facts.co.nz