Go for it Bro! Get them possums!

Go for it Bro! Get them possums!

The Kiwi Party
Press Release
May 22, 2009

The Kiwi Party welcomes the results from yesterday’s gathering of entrepreneurs to help New Zealand come up with ideas to overcome our current challenges. Party leader Larry Baldock said it was especially encouraging to hear that the idea to develop our Kiwi Possum industry to its full potential, put forward by Greg Howard, was ranked at number three.

“The ‘Go for it bro’ slogan does call out to our number 8 fencing wire innovative gift that has already led some clever Kiwis to develop possum products for export. They are however, being restricted by limited access to raw materials by blind bureaucratic insistence on the use of 1080 poison. 

“For years many have been appealing to the Department of Conversation, the Animal Health Board and Regional Councils to turn over the responsibility of possum control to those involved in the export of possum fur and meat products. 

“I have personally appealed to previous Conservation ministers in this regard and made many speeches in Parliament on this subject,” said Mr Baldock.

“It makes no sense, especially in the current economic climate when unemployment is rising and New Zealand needs new markets for our Kiwi products, that we waste the resource of possums in this country,” he said.

Current Government policy continues to waste millions of tax-payer dollars taking huge risks with our environment by spreading 1080 poison all over our forests and bush. We could be achieving far better results through employing trappers to harvest and export the resources available from possums.

“These trappers could also be given incentives to lay traps for ferrets, stoats, and feral cats to further reduce the damage being done to our native birds by these introduced pests.
Who knows what could be accomplished if we could release the potential?”
 
Go for it Bro!

Ends