ERMA report underlines effective controls for biodegradable 1080

Date:  18 November 2010

The Department of Conservation (DOC) says ERMA’s annual report on the aerial use of 1080 shows the public can have confidence in the strict controls surrounding the use of the biodegradable pest control poison.

DOC applies 1080 by air over about two percent of public conservation land to protect threatened native birds and forests from imported pests like possums and rats.

ERMA’s annual report notes that the regulatory regime for 1080 is “working as intended to realise the benefits of using 1080 for pest control, while minimising the risks.”

DOC’s general manager operations, John Cumberpatch says the department uses the naturally occurring poison under strict guidelines set by ERMA. These include GPS-guided flight navigation systems to target bait applications and independent water monitoring regimes.

He said the ERMA report revealed that water safety limits were never breached during any of the 113 water monitoring tests taken during the 12 month period.

John Cumberpatch said DOC uses a wide range of pest control methods including trapping and ground-based bait stations.

But he said careful application of biodegradable 1080 by air remains the most effective option for large-scale pest control operations in difficult terrain.

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