Government gives backing to 1080 report

File Photo / NZ Herald

The Government is welcoming a report which has given a tick to 1080 and says the poison should be used more often.

Parliamentary Commissioner for the Environment Jan Wright says without 1080, our ability to protect many of our native plants and animals would be lost.

Dr Wright says based on careful analysis of the evidence, the use of 1080 should continue and we should use more of it.

However, she admits some 1080 operations have not been well done and there's always room for improvement.

She says 1080 is not perfect and research to develop better poisons should continue.

Minister of Conservation Kate Wilkinson says introduced pests, such as possums, stoats and rats, are the country's most challenging environmental problem.

"We've now had two comprehensive and independent reports into the use of 1080 at considerable public expense," she says.

"Only the introduced predators will benefit from a moratorium, which I agree isn't needed.

"DOC spends $22 million on pest control each year and with eight million hectares to look after it targets 1080 where it is needed most.

"It is also using 1080 more effectively and efficiently than in the past and there is always room for improvement in communicating how and why it is being used.

"The Government will be giving careful consideration to the other recommendations that would standardise conditions and improve transparency of use."

The Green Party also welcomed the report, but says it remains committed to finding alternatives to the poison.

"Looking after the wild places we love is one of our highest priorities. In practice, this means using 1080 as a measure of last resort in hard-to-get places where it is the only cost-effective way to control pests," party spokesperson for conservation, Kevin Hague says.

Meanwhile, Lincoln University Professor Charles Eason says there should be careful due diligence in the use of any tool, whether it's 1080, a trap or cyanide.

He says it needs to be done carefully in a technical sense and carefully in a community sense, mindful of people's concerns about the use of the poison.

Professor Eason doubts it will lay to rest dog owners' concerns and says the report doesn't say that there's no risk to dogs.

He says the report says with improvements of techniques and notification of neighbours, there have been less dog deaths in recent years.

- NZ Herald staff, Newstalk ZB