Baldock Larry: Questions for Oral Answer — Questions to Ministers Questions to Members 
Baldock Larry: Questions for Oral Answer — Questions to Ministers Questions to Members 
[Volume:626;Page:21051] 
9.  
LARRY BALDOCK (United Future) 
 to the  
Minister of Conservation 
: What progress if any has been made on the formal reassessment of 1080 by the Environmental Risk Management Authority as initiated by the Department of Conservation and the Animal Health Board and how many aerial 1080 drops if any are scheduled to take place before the reassessment is complete? 
Hon CHRIS CARTER (Minister of Conservation) 
: 
 Good progress has been made and the application by the Animal Health Board and the Department of Conservation is expected to be lodged with the Environmental Risk Management Authority within the next 3 months. The evaluation process may take 6 months or more to complete. I can say that in the current year there will be 33 Animal Health Board aerial 1080 operations to control bovine TB and five Department of Conservation operations. 
Larry Baldock 
: Can the Minister confirm that the Department of Conservation along with the Animal Health Board decided to apply for a reassessment of 1080 back in 2001 in part and I quote from the department’s own magazine: “Since its registration on 1964 there is new information on 1080 that should be formally assessed.”; if so why has it taken 4 years for a reassessment to take place? 
Hon CHRIS CARTER 
: This is a controversial topic that has a lot of people very interested in it. I can confirm that the authority has approved its transfer to the Hazardous Substances and New Organisms Act regime. It is important that we have a thorough and credible reassessment for 1080. I have no problem with the time being taken to ensure that we get it right. 
David Parker 
: Does the Minister have information on the outcomes from some of the recent aerial application of 1080 poison? 
Hon CHRIS CARTER 
: Monitored native bird populations have shown substantial increases after aerial 1080 operations. Possum populations have been drastically reduced resulting in significant improvements in forest health. Aerial 1080 is also an indispensable weapon in the war against bovine tuberculosis with the number of infected herds as at April 2005 reaching a record low level. 
Larry Baldock 
: Will the Minister adopt United Future and Outdoor Recreation NZ’s policy of a moratorium on the aerial use of 1080 until a reassessment has been completed given that the second reason in 2001 for the reassessment was that: “There was strong public interest and concern over 1080 particularly its aerial application.” and “The ERMA process provides an opportunity for public discussion and scrutiny.”; if not why not given the environmental harm it could well be causing in the meantime? 
Hon CHRIS CARTER 
: No and not one scrap of credible evidence to justify placing a ban has appeared. 
Larry Baldock 
: Is the Minister aware that his department’s own document states: “The use of 1080 toxin to control possums for conservation purposes is not preventing the decline in the overall condition of our indigenous forests and also that 1080 is one of the most effective tools we currently have to restrict the deterioration in biodiversity condition but only on a relatively small scale. We cannot prevent the ongoing deterioration on a large scale.” and therefore will the Minister respond to United Future and Outdoor Recreation’s call for an urgent all-stakeholder summit involving environmental groups and including the burgeoning possum recovery industry and recreational hunters to identify the most effective way to address the pest problem in New Zealand given the millions being spent every year with little progress to show for it in protecting our native birds; if not why not? 
Hon CHRIS CARTER 
: New Zealand’s biodiversity is under threat from a whole range of introduced pests not just possums and I am always interested in hearing about new ways in which we can protect our biodiversity. 
Jeanette Fitzsimons 
: What progress if any would be made on pest control or biodiversity if the Department of Conservation were to be disestablished and restructured into two separate units as advocated by some parties in this House? 
Hon CHRIS CARTER 
: It has been the experience of nearby jurisdictions that have done that particularly in the state of Victoria that it has been very unsuccessful and the two arms of the biodiversity protection agency have been fused back together after such an operation.