MEDIA RELEASE
Outdoor Recreation NZ
26 April 2006

Public forced to swallow 1080 propaganda

"The pro-1080 propaganda brigade are telling porkies to the public and the media are buying the rubbish", said Tony Smart the1080 and Pest Control Spokesperson for ORNZ.

"The irresponsible spokespersons from Government Dept’s like the Department of Conservation, Animal Health Board, Regional Councils and even Forest and bird are in the act telling kiwis that 1080 is harmless and safe. What utter twaddle!"

"They keep on telling us they have all the right answers, well, they don't. They shouldn't be allowed to continue poisoning the life out of our streams or the wildlife out of our land. Their lame excuses and propaganda have been promoting destructive poisonous campaigns. They claim that any other way will cost too much, or that the country is too rough, or it will take to long. Rubbish! They may say it's as safe as table salt, but I don't see them proving it!"

Tony Smart says his reaction follows what he sees as deceitful comments on the harmlessness of 1080 which appears on NIWA's website. Namely:

- The few instances where 1080 has been detected in stream water most likely reflects the presents of 1080 baits in streams, laboratory test show that 1080 breaks down relatively quickly in water, mostly by bacteria naturally present in stream water or associated with aquatic plants, and the rate of breakdown is faster in warmer water.
- Given the fact that aerial application of 1080 is generally done in winter months, it is likely that 1080 could persist in cold-water streams for some time, its been suggested that dilution of 1080 in streams would be more important in reducing it to toxicologically insignificant concentrations than its breakdown by bacteria. However despite this assertion,
- No studies have specifically looked at the effect of 1080 on Aquatic invertebrate and fish communities found in streams.
- This lack of information is pertinent, as water quality monitoring studies have occasionally shown traces of 1080 in stream water, and as such may effect in stream communities on a local patch-scale.

By contrast, the cold hard facts, from the official American Government websites from which they were researched show that:
- The World Health Organization (WHO): The number one most toxic registered pesticide is Sodium Fluoroacetate (1080).
- United States Environmental Protection agency, (EPA) states that: 1080 is a white powder, Soluble in water, very stable, and thus is very persistent in ground water. There are no generally available tests to confirm poisoning by convulsant rodenticides. (1080 is classed as a convulsant rodentiside)
- Royal commission for Genetic Modification claims that; The main poison used in New Zealand for possum control is 1080 (sodium monofluoroacetate) and each year New Zealand released about two and a half tons of this poison into its environment, composing 90% of the worlds use. Concerns are being expressed over the dangers of poisons used in possum control, such as environmental contamination and risks to non-target species, particularly native birds, and that the massive expenditure on possum control is unsustainable. The reliance on 1080 poison could also have trade implications if New Zealand’s major trading partners were to find the continued use of this poison unacceptable.
- The United States Department of Community Heath asks; what is sodium Fluoroacetate? Sodium Fluoroacetate is a fine, white, odorless powder that is sometimes dyed black. It is known as Compound 1080, Fratol, Furatol, Ratbane1080, Yasoknock, Ten-Eighty, SMFA, and sodium Monofluoroacetate. It dissolves easily in water and can seep into soil and groundwater where it can persist for one-two weeks in warm weather/high humidity and up to two months in extreme cold or drought. It is a highly toxic substance and may be fatal if inhaled swallowed or absorbed through the skin. There is no known antidote for sodium Fluoroacetate.
- Toxicology Data Net (Toxnet) claims that; To assess the risk of secondary poisoning to dogs which may scavenge carcasses of poisoned animals, possum carcasses were collected after a possum control operation using 1080 paste baits in Wairarapa, New Zealand, during 1994. The state of the decomposition of the carcasses was assessed at intervals up to 75 days and the concentrations of the stomach contents analyzed. Carcasses collected from the field were found to contain concentrations of 1080 high enough to pose a serious hazard to dogs, even up to 75 days after the poison operation.

"So I ask you, who do you think is telling the porkies and who is telling the truth? A week plus in the water anywhere in New Zealand is enough for any toxin or poison to reach the ocean. Besides, DOC warns that poisoned deer and wild pigs could wander as far as five kilometers from where they ingested the 1080 and so are not to be taken from in that 5 k range outside the poison area. Isn't this an admittance enough of the dangers of 1080 to the public? Just how stupid do these clowns think we are? These so called protectors of New Zealand’s land, ecology and native wildlife should never be allowed to airdrop or use 1080 again!

"By contrast Outdoor Recreation NZ has a well thought out and sensible policy to deal with these issues. We have a very workable pest control management plan for alternative methods of animal management and control other than airdropping tons of toxic poison over huge areas of our environment."

ENDS

© Scoop Media