KEY POINTS:
Large tracts of rural South Island will be ravaged by pests without the use of the controversial poison 1080, a regional council warns.
Environment Canterbury (ECan) is standing with the Department of Conservation and Animal Health Board in arguing for 1080, as the agencies seek "reassessment" by the Environment Risk Management Authority (Erma) to quell public concerns.
The poison, used widely in aerial drops, was introduced to New Zealand in the 1950s to kill possums.
It has been criticised by some for the unintended risk of poisoning wildlife and hunters have opposed 1080 because of its effect on prey.
But these arguments have been dismissed as a "lot of nonsense" by conservation group Forest and Bird.
ECan said 1080 was an "essential tool", and the most cost-effective poison for large-scale pest control.
As the only vertebrate toxin able to be applied from the air, it was essential for controlling rabbits, possums, wallabies and mustelids (weasels, stoats and ferrets) which stripped vegetation from rugged and isolated terrain.
"With rabbit populations becoming immune to RCV [rabbit calicivirus], the only effective response for large-scale control will be the use of 1080," said ECan pest portfolio chairman Robert Johnston.
"Effective control of rabbits over large areas of rabbit prone-land would be almost impossible without the use of 1080, leading potentially to land degradation as has happened in previous decades.
"It's also one of the most effective ways to fight possums, which are not only a threat to biodiversity but also the carrier of bovine tuberculosis, which has significant implications for New Zealand's agriculture and primary produce sectors."
Forest and Bird is "very much in favour" of 1080 because it was so effective against predators, said spokesman Kevin Hackwell. "We would rather we didn't have to use something like 1080.
"It would be great if there wasn't a pest problem. [But] as toxins go, it has a lot of things in its favour. It is relatively safe if used properly."
Another advantage was the rapid rate at which 1080 broke down once laid.
"There is no question that, wrongly applied, it can be a problem. Over time these lessons have been well and truly learnt. The number of accidental kills of native animals is very, very small now."
Mr Hackwell said there was a constant problem with people being misinformed about 1080, but the reassessment by Erma was a good opportunity to allay public fears.
