Councils and communities must find 1080 solutions together

Government and West Coast Councils must start working constructively with local communities while a temporary suspension of aerial 1080 poison drops are in place, the Green Party says.

Residents in South-Westland have gone to court with a claim that conditions relating to 1080 drops in the Harihari area have been illegally changed or breached.

“Governing bodies should work constructively with local communities to find solutions that work for the community, for biodiversity and for farming,” Green Party Conservation Spokesperson Metiria Turei says.

“I welcome the temporary reprieve for residents in areas like Kumara and Karamea who are gravely concerned about aerial poison drops in their drinking water supply and around their homes.

“When visiting the West Coast last week with locals and Forest and Bird members, I surveyed the drop zone around Kumara, to find it is mostly flat land and accessible hills with a large water reservoir in the middle.

“This terrain, criss-crossed with tracks and roads, is a classic example of where it is far preferable to use ground-based pest control rather than indiscriminate aerial application.

“Ground-based operations can generate employment and local economic activity, reduce the presence of toxic chemicals in the environment, decrease the by-catch of non-target species, and keep 1080 out of the water supply.

“The Animal Health Board has agreed to move the borders of the aerial drop further away from the reservoir, but there will still be major drops all through the catchment from which locals get their drinking water.

“Controlling Tb is necessary. However, in accessible country around farmland, and especially where this is the catchment for drinking water supplies, then the extra costs of ground-based pest control are justified.

“The Greens maintain that 1080 is still an essential tool for protecting our native plants and animals in remote areas where non-aerial methods are not practical. However, the research into potential long-term health effects of toxicity is poor, so a precautionary approach is required.

“The Green Party in no way endorses illegal actions such as the recent dog poisoning in Greymouth – such cruelty detracts from the real issues and further polarises communities.”