KEY POINTS:
Biosecurity officials who gained emergency approval to airdrop pesticides on an incursion of imported red fire ants in Hawkes Bay now want the poison available for aerial use throughout New Zealand.
Biosecurity New Zealand wants approval from the Environmental Risk Management Authority for aerial spreading of pyriproxyfen ant poison, sold as Distance, and methoprene, sold as Engage.
"The ant baits will also be used for widespread aerial or ground dispersal in response to future red imported fire ant infestations as well as other potentially damaging invasive ant species and an established pest species," a Biosecurity report said.
A nest of imported red fire ants found at Whirinaki was killed in June last year.
The Cabinet has since approved $10.96 million to help in the fight against ants because they can spread across wide areas, posing a threat to human health and to native flora and fauna.
The agency within the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry gained emergency approval to airdrop the poisons during a three-year eradication programme.
Now it is seeking a modified re-assessment of controls which restrict normal use of the two poisons to ground-based staff.
Landcare Research scientist Margaret Stanley recommended having Distance and Engage available while research was done on the most effective baits.
Aerial application of both poisons has been used in Queensland over seven years to eradicate the ants in inaccessible or very large areas.
Neither poison was expected to have any acute or chronic adverse environmental or human health effects if applied according to the label.
"The risk to the general public, workers or bystanders is negligible," Biosecurity NZ said.
"Aerial application will only be used in large rural areas or inaccessible areas."
If stockpiles of the poisons passed their use-by date, they should be buried in a pit.
- NZPA
