5th September 2011

Farmers disgusted at aerial 1080 drop

FATE members are disgusted that the Animal Health Board & the Department of Conservation have begun (6.30am 4th September) their aerial 1080 drop on North & South Okarito Forests.

This was permitted to go ahead even though the consent was issued for possum control only and DoC have widely advertised that they are targeting rats and stoats. This action flies in the face of the lengthy studies e.g. Wendy Ruscoe showing that some of the unexpected consequences of 1080 drops are the arrival of rat plagues, knowing that stoats are not attracted to the baits and seldom eat dead rats but prey switch from 6% birds in their diets to 67%.

Ignoring this is clearly a process of wilful blindness on behalf of the Department of Conservation and legalised ecocide by both them and the Animal Health Board, the belligerent bureaucratic juggernaut that poisons because it can. If the AHB put its poison money into meaningful farmer education, there would be no bovine TB.

ENDS

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