The Green Party is calling on WorkSafe and the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to undertake an urgent review of the ongoing use of methyl bromide – a highly toxic fumigant – at ports across the country. The call follows a decision made by the Environment Court last Friday to block an application by Envirofume Ltd to fumigate logs for export using methyl bromide at the Port of Tauranga. Envirofume’s application to use methyl bromide was rejected on the basis that...

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) needs to listen to New Zealanders and urgently reassess the use of bee-killing neonicotinoid pesticides in this country, the Green Party said today. Green Party MP Steffan Browning will today present a petition signed by more than 6000 people to the EPA, asking it to reassess neonicotinoids – a type of insecticide that accumulates in the pollen and nectar of sprayed plants and kills pollinators such as bees. “Healthy bees are critical to our food...

New Zealanders’ health is being put at risk by a chemical in commonly used weedkillers that the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) doesn’t even require companies to publicly disclose is in its compounds, the Green Party said today. At least 89 herbicide and pesticide products in New Zealand, including products commonly found in many Kiwi garden sheds, contain polyoxyethylene tallow amine (POEA), which has been named in today’s Pesticide Action Network monograph as having serious health effects. The EU Commission has also...

The Green Party is calling on the Government to ban the toxic ingredient POEA, after answers to written questions to the Minister for the Environment revealed it is an undisclosed ingredient in almost 90 products sold in New Zealand. The European Union (EU) Commission has recommended that EU member states ban the use of Polyoxyethylene tallow amine (POEA), a common ingredient in herbicides like Roundup, which researchers expect could cause cell damage and death, and may cause pregnancy problems including...

The Green Party is congratulating the organics sector on taking major steps this weekend to unify the sector, as well as wishing the Soil & Health Association a happy 75th birthday. In a show of the sector’s strength and confidence about the future, major organics organisations Soil & Health and BioGro New Zealand have combined to bring their significant strengths together, and sector umbrella organisation Organics Aotearoa New Zealand has chosen to expand its membership, embracing key food industry players...

The Green Party is applauding Christchurch City Council’s decision to restrict the use of glyphosate-based weed killers in spaces open to the public, and is calling on other councils around New Zealand to follow suit. Christchurch councillors voted yesterday to restrict the use of glyphosate – a probable carcinogen – in areas accessible to the public. The decision aligns with an ongoing campaign by the Green Party to limit the use of glyphosate in public streets and parks. “We’re pleased...

Auckland Council’s decision to replace safe hot water-based weed control with the potentially toxic herbicide glyphosate in playgrounds, parks, and streets raises questions about whether communities are having their desire to remain spray-free ignored, the Green Party said. On Friday, an attempt by two Auckland Councillors to return to using hot water-based weed management across the whole city was ruled out of order. “It looks like communities and local boards who want to be spray free are being ignored by...

The Government needs to up its game and do more to support dairy farmers into organics as payouts for organics continue to skyrocket, the Green Party said today. Today Fonterra announced a 2016/2017 market-linked forecast of $9.20 per kilo for organic milksolids – more than double the price for conventional farmgate milk ($3.90 per kilo) – reflecting a global surge in demand for organics. “Organic milk is better for our farmers’ backpockets and for our environment – it should be...

A lack of commitment to the organic farming sector from the National Government is causing New Zealand to fall behind our major agricultural competitors in the race to compete for the high-value organic dollar, the Green Party said today. The 2016 New Zealand Organic Market Report, released today, shows there has been a 55 percent decline in the area of New Zealand farmland producing organic livestock in 2015. At the same time, organic farmland in both Australia and the EU...

Port workers and people living near the Port of Tauranga can breathe a sigh of relief following a successful bid by the Green Party and other groups to block the use of a potentially fatal gas at the port, said the Green Party today. An Independent Commissioner this week declined an application by Envriofume Limited to discharge the potentially fatal air pollutant Methyl Bromide at the Port of Tauranga. Methyl bromide is used to fumigate logs for export. The Commissioner...