Council urges AHB review

Council urges AHB review
By Laura Mills Hokitika Guardian Wednesday 11th August, and also Greymouth Star 11th August - Council demands AHB review

The Westland District Council has called on Parliament to not only cease all aerial 1080 drops, but review the entire Animal Health Board (AHB).
Mayor Maureen Pugh recently tabled a petition before Parliament's local government and environment select committee indicating that at least 90% of Westland residents were opposed to the toxin.
The committee then called for submissions, which have now been publicly released.
The Westland council's submission urged that "mass poisoning" be halted immediately until there could be a properly designed and executed study, independant of the Department of Conservation and Animal Health Board, showing the benefit of 1080.
The council also noted concern that, as a charitable trust, the AHB was not subject to the Official Information Act, and should be reviewed to see if it offered value to the taxpayer.
"The inability for the public to have access to the information held by the AHB breeds suspicion and mistrust within the community."
It said the AHB had avoided formally recording stock deaths.
"The tolerance for 1080 poisoning is at an all-time low and alternatives 'must' be trialed," the council submitted.
Against that, the Animal Health Board's submission said that in the past decade its strategy of using 1080 to kill possums had been effective in reducing Tb-infected herd numbers.
However, the West Coast still had disproportionately high infection numbers: "The region holds about 4% of all cattle and herds in New Zealand yet has over 30% of the nation's infected herds."
It said the Environment Risk Management Authority (Erma) had reviewed 1080 three years ago and found its use outweighed the adverse effects.
The board noted that the council had offered to work with the AHB and DOC to look into alternatives to the toxin, and while it was happy to do so, "we do not see any realistic prospects."
It had engaged independant survey professionals and in December 2009, 52% of those interviewed did not like 1080, but accepted the need for its use, the AHB submitted.
DOC was the third party to make a submission, and said the case for the continued use of aerial 1080 was "compelling."
It presented case studies, which showed 1080 was the cheapest option - in the Cascade this year the cost of ground control was $48.70 a hectare, compared with $17 a hectare for aerial control. The total saving by using aerial poison was close to $1 million.
Select committee chairman, the West Coast - Tasman MP Chris Auchinvole, yesterday could not say when the submissions would be considered: "It's on the timetable for consideration."

Protestors get the OK from Westcoast Council for 1080 ban

To view TV3 News video click here

The Christchurch Press - online today...

Furious protesters chanting "stop the drop" filled the streets of the usually peaceful
West Coast town of Hokitika today.

An estimated 300 anti-1080 protesters marched through the main street, demanding aerial dropping of 1080 in the region be stopped.

Some protesters carried a coffin while another, perched upon a trailer, spun a wheel suggesting the terrible outcomes of the poison.

The protesters gathered outside the Westland District Council to present council members with a petition stating that 92 per cent of people in the area opposed 1080.

Mayor Maureen Pugh told the crowd she found the numbers "mind-boggling" and said the council would fulfil its "obligation" to the community as government representatives.

The use of 1080 poison has been a long running issue on the West Coast, however authorities claim to have no other options in their fight against pests.

ENDS

And in response, and just in from the Westland District Council.....

5.6 Operation Swoop Petition and Farmers Against Ten Eighty – 1080 Petition

It was noted that Councillor Allen Hurley had signed the 1080 petition.

Moved Her Worship the Mayor, seconded Councillor Eggeling and Resolved that Council receive the petition and agrees to forward it to MP Chris Auchinvole as Chair of the Local Government and Environment Select Committee for action.

Moved Councillor Hustwick, seconded Councillor Birchfield and Resolved that:

1. Westland District Council, while recognising that they currently have no legal authority to enforce this action, have a strong desire to have Westland District 1080 free, and will advocate with interest groups for that to occur; and

2. Council will commence proceedings to make the use of 1080 a prohibited activity in the Westland District Plan; and

3. Recognising the threat that TB has on the Westland economy, Council will work with Department of Conservation and the Animal Health Board in applying to Development West Coast for funding to implement an alternative method of possum control, including trapping or other ground control methods.

The results of the petitions...

Kumara 216 polled 212 signatures 98%

Hokitika 1156 polled 1035 signatures 89.5%

Ross 186 polled 177 signatures 95%

Ruatapu 51 polled 44 signatures 86%

Harihari 215 polled 201 signatures 93.5%


ENDS.

OTAGO DAILY TIMES - TUESDAY 20/10/09

1080 use threatened by organised opposition
Home » News » Farming
By Neal Wallace on Mon, 19 Oct 2009
http://www.odt.co.nz/news/farming

Future aerial application of 1080 could become more difficult as opponents of the poison become more organised, according to Animal Health Board chairman John Dalziell.

This was despite the board and the Department of Conservation seeking and receiving official approval from the Environmental Risk Management Authority (Erma) for the continued use of the poison, albeit with stricter controls.

"The process of registration was a democratic and open forum that produced recommendations around further use of 1080. We would have thought that the process would have alleviated some of the concerns of those opposing the use of 1080 but it seems to have had a reverse effect and stimulated their activity," he said.

Mr Dalziell was responding to the decision of Dunedin city councillor Fliss Butcher to seek a public debate about the aerial use of 1080 nationally and within the city. She also rejected Erma's ruling, claiming it was rigged, favouring instead comments from a friend who has been a hunter for 40 years and the content of two films by opponents of the poison, Clyde and Steve Graf.

Westland and Taupo district councils have taken political stances against aerial use of 1080, and sought an end to its use.

Mr Dalziell said district councils had no role as a consenting authority for aerial 1080 operations, but if the anti-1080 momentum was to grow among councillors, their agitation and lobbying could make its use more difficult.

He questioned whether councillors who were driving the debate were representative of the wider community or were pushing their own agenda.

"If they were to take it to an election platform, what will be the ratepayers' view and will they vote more anti-1080 people on to council? If they do, then we've got some issues."

He took heart that last week three North Island district councils publicly supported the continued use of aerial 1080 operations. Mr Dalziell acknowledged there was an initial cost to wildlife and biodiversity with 1080, but said there were greater long-term gains for flora and fauna, in addition to reducing infection rates of bovine tuberculosis.

Fifteen years ago his area of the lower North Island was endemic with bovine Tb and there were very few native birds.

"Today, after initial aerial and ground 1080 in the bush areas and ongoing vector control with a range of different methods, there is not one Tb-infected herd in our district and we have an abundance of native birds."

The number of infected herds in the Wellington region had fallen from 330 in 1994 to four in 2009, while the reduction in Otago was equally spectacular, from 290 in mid 1990s to 14 at June 30th. Nationally, infection levels have fallen over that time from around 1200 to 130.
Mr Dalziell said Animal Health Board staff regularly talked with councils if they were aware of concerns, and would be happy to meet with the DCC.

"Cr Butcher is entitled to her views, but I am sure the council will be seeking to be well informed on the issues of 1080 before making a decision, rather than move on the personal views of one councillor," he said.