Dunne - 1080 operations too 'inhouse'

UnitedFuture leader Peter Dunne says his party remains unmoved in its
opposition to aerial 1080 despite the Department of Conservation's
latest attempt at assuring the public otherwise.

"What DoC, regional councils and the Animal Health Board fail to
understand is that the public of New Zealand will never trust assertions
over the effectiveness of aerial 1080 while the whole regime remains so
'inhouse',"
said Mr Dunne.

"DoC, regional councils, the AHB, and their contractors are carrying out
poisoning operations with little to no public accountability.

"Assurances over the appropriateness of aerial 1080 operations seem
extremely shallow when those that assess and collect the data prior to,
and after each operation are also the contractors tasked with carrying
out that operation in the first place.

"It is crazy that those whose commercial interests lie in the
persistence of the status quo are the same people left to assess the
effectiveness and future viability of Government policy regarding 1080.

"I know no other publicly funded industry in New Zealand that has such a
blatant disregard for community transparency.

"DoC, the AHB and the poison contractors should therefore not act
surprised that public perception has turned against them.

"If DoC and the AHB truly wish to convince the public of the long term
sustainability of aerial 1080 operations they should open up the
tendering and assessment processes to far greater public scrutiny.

"Doubt over the honesty and integrity of those involved in using 1080
will continue to grow as long as the Government does nothing to promote
greater openness within the industry," said Mr Dunne.

Ends

© Scoop Media