TB Eradication Must Not Be Ignored

Thursday 24 Apr 2003 Gerry Eckhoff Press Releases -- Rural

ACT New Zealand Rural Affairs Spokesman Gerry Eckhoff today slammed Strategy Committee Chair for Possum and Bovine TB Control Dr Peter O'Hara for ignoring the potential for possum bio-control.

"Since when did a civil servant make public policy on this, or any other, issue? If Dr O'Hara has thrown his lot in with the eco-fundamentalists, he should publicly say so, and resign from his public responsibilities," Mr Eckhoff said.

"It is wrong for Dr O'Hara to assume that bio-control is not publicly acceptable. Just what information or research has he based this assumption on?

"Should Dr O'Hara and his committee choose to ignore the vast opportunities that bio-technologies offer to the control or eradication of possums, Rural Affairs Minister Jim Sutton should seek his resignation at the first opportunity.

"The eradication of TB from New Zealand is far too important to allow bureaucrats to pander to misguided environmentalists," Mr Eckhoff said.

ENDS

For more information visit ACT online at http://www.act.org.nz or contact the ACT Parliamentary Office at act@parliament.govt.nz.

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