Conservation Minister Eugenie Sage has given the Department of Conservation (DoC) license to spend taxpayers’ money on a costly tahr cull, despite the fact hunters have been doing the job themselves, National’s Conservation spokesperson Jacqui Dean says.

The Minister has given permission for a large-scale cull to start on July 1st. Hunters are asking the High Court for an injunction to prevent the cull from going ahead.

“The commercial tahr hunting industry contributes $17 million to the economy and provides valuable jobs. The Minister should be mindful of the businesses that rely on this resource and have already suffered through the effects of Covid-19.

“Once the border re-opens guided hunting operators need to be able to offer these premium experiences again.

“Eugenie Sage is making the same mistakes she made in 2018, where she also tried to enact a large-scale cull unsuccessfully. She has failed to strike a balance where conservation values are protected and hunting interests are maintained.

“Hunters have collectively reduced herd numbers by 18,000 over the past three years. The Minister wants to take this responsibility off them and instead force taxpayers to pay for the job.

“Tahr numbers need to be sensibly managed, but proper consultation and due diligence needs to be carried out before we lump taxpayers with a big bill that might not be necessary. Conservation decisions should be based on science not ideology.”

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