PRESS RELEASE
13 AUGUST 2007
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Call for Royal Commission on 1080

In the wake of the Environmental Risk Management Authority's report, Monday, on 1080, a Coromandel-based environmental group has kicked off a nation-wide campaign to press for a Royal Commission to evaluate New Zealand's use of the controversial toxin, 1080.

Dismissing ERMA's findings on 1080 poison as a "foregone conclusion and a farce from the outset" the Upper Coromandel Landcare Association stated that "only a Royal Commission can provide the independence and the impartiality required on an issue of such critical importance to the nation."

According to UCLA, the Animal Health Board and the Department of Conservation hand-picked ERMA as the preferred venue for a likely rubber-stamp of its on-going poison policies. The ERMA panel was compromised by blatant conflict of interest and relied heavily on industry-biased research provided by the applicants themselves.

UCLA has pointed out that the ERMA panel was largely devoid of scientific expertise in such relevant areas as toxicology, animal and plant physiology, human medicine and environmental science. According to the group a Royal Commission would draw on the best scientific expertise from around the world in contrast to ERMA.

New Zealand's unremitting use of 1080 has potentially grave consequences for our cultural traditions, our environment and our tourist and export economies, UCLA contends.

UCLA has also announced plans this week for an international campaign to raise awareness among tourists and consumers, of New Zealand's exceptional use of this internationally banned poison.

ENDS

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