Taupo council calls on Govt to stop 1080

Taupo District Council has called on the Government to stop aerial drops of 1080 poison used to kill possums, and to find a sustainable alternative.

"We need to stop the aerial bombardment by helicopters dumping 1080 indiscriminately over large tracts of land," said mayor Rick Cooper . "This method is uncontrolled and the risk to the environment and our waterways is too great" .

The move follows a similar call by a West Coast council.

Mr Cooper staged a "Great 1080 Debate" in Taupo in July, and asked police not to pursue a dying local protester, Chris Short, who mounted a brief vigil in August, 14 years after he hijacked a helicopter at gunpoint to highlight his fight against 1080.

Mr Cooper said the method of delivery caused him the most concern over culling with 1080.

"We understand 1080 will be used until the powers find and fund a more sustainable method of eradicating possums but aerial dropping must be stopped forthwith," he said.

The Taupo move was triggered by a request from the Turangi-Tongariro Community Board: councillor Gary Keepa claimed there was clear evidence of indiscriminate dropping of 1080 in the Turangi area.

The Taupo council's campaign against aerial drops of 1080 by regional councils, the Animal Health Board, and DOC will be coordinated by councillor Don Ormsby.

The chairman of the Wildlands BioDiversity Management Society conservation group, Graham Sperry of Reporoa, said the council's move could bring commonsense to the 1080 issue and an end to the ecological damage toxins were alleged to cause.

The Environmental Risk Management Authority (Erma) ruled in 2007 to allow the continued use of 1080 in aerial drops of poison baits because it is a "necessary evil" with no economic alternative for culling possums.

It said there was no practical alternative which could be applied from the air for effective control of possums in remote areas.

The quasi-judicial regulator did not reduce the maximum amount of the poison allowed to be dropped on each hectare, but ordered closer monitoring of aerial drops, and of communication and consultation with affected communities.

- NZPA