Green Party Biosecurity spokesperson Ian Ewen-Street today said news that MAF plan to double the area to be sprayed for the painted apple moth showed that the incursion had moved from being a serious problem to one that was fast becoming out of control.

"I am absolutely appalled with MAFs handling of this whole process and their latest plan to spray 600 hectares instead of 300 shows that their mishandling of this situation since the first painted apple moths were found over two years ago is leading to dire consequences," he said.

"The recent capture of a high number of male painted apple moths in new areas shows MAF have virtually lost control of these moths, and their drastic new plans to double the spray zone is evidence of that.

"There now seems to be no alternative to spraying on a wide scale when, if MAF had acted properly from the start, it could well have been avoided altogether."

Mr Ewen-Street said the residents in the 600 hectares to be sprayed were rightly very angry and very worried.

"There simply must be an inquiry into MAFs handling of the painted apple moth because we cannot afford a repeat performance if there is ever another incursion.

"The people of Auckland have a right to know what has gone wrong and why, and to make sure this never happens again."

Ends

© Scoop Media

Gordon Campbell: On the Sony cyber attack

Given the layers of meta-irony involved, the saga of the Sony cyber attack seemed at the outset more like a snarky European art film than a popcorn entry at the multiplex.

Yet now with (a) President Barack Obama weighing in on the side of artistic freedom and calling for the US to make a ‘proportionate response’quickly followed by (b) North Korea’s entire Internet service going down, and with both these events being followed by (c) Sony deciding to backtrack and release The Interview film that had made it a target for the dastardly North Koreans in the first place, then ay caramba…the whole world will now be watching how this affair pans out. More>>