KAKA Press Release: June 17, 2008
 
1080: Age of Consent?
 
It has come to the attention of 1080 action group Karameans Advocating Kahurangi Action (KAKA) that the Animal Health Board and pest-control contractor EPRO have been sneakily organising new consents through the West Coast Regional Council to substantially expand the area of a scheduled 1080 drop in Karamea on the northern West Coast from 30,631 hectares to 52,196 hectares without public consultation. 
 
The consent applications have not been publicly notified and while this behaviour may be legal, is it ethical? The use of 1080 on the West Coast is an extremely contentious issue and many Coasters have serious and justifiable concerns about their personal safety and the environmental impact of the process. Accordingly, West Coast residents should be clearly informed of any changes to the 1080 programme and this has not been the case.
 
For the AHB, EPRO and the WCRC to then covertly change the conditions of the consent and expand the scope of the programme without alerting the residents that may be affected must surely bring into question the ethics of the procedure in which such bodies are bound and the level of trust the public can afford them.
 
In addition, the use of carrot baits has been introduced into the programme, whereas in the initial (publicly informed consent) only cereal baits were to be used. Carrot baits are particularly attractive to deer, could it be that the Department of Conservation is pulling the strings to have the programme expanded?
 
KAKA will continue to work for the people of the West Coast to closely watch the activities of the aforementioned government agencies and poison contractor to reveal the truth and provide information to the public that should reasonably be available.

ends
 
 
 

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