Government Commissioner Wrong on 1080

The Parliamentary Commissioner for the Environment's call for more 1080 is badly flawed says Laurie Collins spokesman for the Sporting Hunters' Outdoor Trust (SHOT).

"She is dangerously wrong on several counts and in calling for more 1080 is unwittingly threatening native birds and indeed the integrity of the whole ecosystem," said the West Coast conservationist.

Laurie Collins had spent much of his working life as a "pest officer" working with 1080 and other poisons.

Laurie Collins said the Commissioner clearly did not understand the nature of 1080 as a toxin, basic biology and food chains.

"Ms Wright described 1080 as humane. That's utter nonsense. Taking about two days to slowly kill is not humane."

In seeking answers to PCE Jan Wright's wish for more 1080, Laurie Collins said the Commissioner's expertise was in physics not biology. In addition there was vested interest by government.

"The Commissioner, DOC and Animal Health Board are employed by government. Empires and jobs are at stake. Government owns the 1080 company Animal Products," he said.

Laurie Collins said Ms Wright was wrong that 1080 would save birds.

"If it doesn't kill them or leave them sickly with a sub-lethal dose, undermining their ability to breed, it will poison birds' food supply of invertebrates and insects. It is a broad spectrum, non-selective poison, killing everything that requires oxygen for its metabolic processes. In short it is an ecosystem poison".

Scientists like the late Mike Meads, Peter Notman and others warned 1080 disrupts whole forest ecosystems and food chains. In addition to direct, or secondary poisoning, birds suffer afterwards from 1080 which causes predator numbers to rise rapidly. After a poison drop, the fast-breeding rats and stoats with litters totalling 30 kittens per annum explode in numbers. Possums, (one kitten a year), do not. The stimulated plague of rats and stoats seeking food then "prey-switch" to birds.

The majority of hunters care about the environment, the forests and birds. The fact is 1080 is banned in almost every other country.

He urged every caring hunter to read conservationist Bill Benfield’s book “The Third Wave.” It outlines all the damaging effects and side effects of 1080.

"Commissioner Wright should read it too" he said. "Poisons, not so-called pests are killing forests and bird ecosystems - a major environmental tragedy."

ENDS

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