We thought it would be interesting to add a public opinion poll onto the site to get an idea of how people feel about 1080.
This is mainly for people from New Zealand, or those that have spent some time in the country and are at least aware of the issue.
Your answers will be anonymous, but if you wish to leave a comment as well that would be appreciated
Ban all poisons from our bush, there are plenty of alternatives eg. trapping.
Treating 1080 bait with deer repellant has been shown to practically eliminate not only pickup by non-target mammals but also by birds, and with no detrimental effect on the target species.
The repellant-treated bait is more expensive, but if there is less wasted on the non-target species then surely the amount dropped could be reduced.
Must be a win-win situation for everyone-so why do DOC oppose the use of repellant-treated baits outside of recreational hunting areas?
used 1080 all my working life {24 yrs}, never had a problem with it or on the properties involed
Having spent a lot of time and effort engaged with DOC and Forest and Bird on many issues, I do not believe their support for 1080 is anything but a genuine position on behalf of the native species they are responsible for. Secondly, trapping would clean good and easy possum country but do nothing in remote and difficult blocks, or where the skins are second grade. Returns from the fur export market are volatile. Finally, there is no choice but 1080 for high country rabbit control post RHD.
Being a keen hunter who enjoys the out-doors i have seen first hand the destruction this evil poison does to targeted and non-targeted species in our bush. People who support the use of this insidious stuff either haven’t seen the results and wholesale destruction to ANY living thing it comes into contact with, or have a financial incentive to support its continual use(e.g helicopter companies.) Ask your self,,-why has every country in the world banned the wholesale aerial distribution of this vile poison-EXCEPT New Zealand. Do we as a country refuse to learn from others mistakes?????????
1080 unfortunately is a necessary evil in NZ. Its long term use here I believe has shown that its effectiveness on that dreadful pest the possum far outweighs the very small numbers of non target species deaths, which do not effect the overall numbers or survival rate of the non target species. Trapping is good and lets encourage it, but as Ross says, not everywhere is trappable, and its these areas that need work or the fight will never have a chance of being won.
I have sat down with ERMA and find they have no accountability for getting their decisions wrong. 1080 is banned around the world…we deliver 92% of it by helicoptor which is far from precise in targetting possum. The Merino industry is very short of pelts for their wool/fur mix and a $3,000,000 business processing carcasses for pet food has been destroyed by 1080. We have been using it since the late 1950′s…we shouldn’t have a single possum left in the entire country by now…lets give it away folks…its a brutal death for any creature and not worthy of us!
By commercialising a possum fur industry we become economically reliant on possums. That means that if possum numbers ever did decrease (as you say “we shouldn’t have a single possum left in the entire country by now”) it would possum fur would become increasingly difficult to obtain. Therefore, costs of harvesting possum fur would start outweighing the financial gain and harvesting would stop. And expectedly, given their high fecundity, possum numbers would bounce back. Additionally, once people start getting rich from an industry they will do almost anything to preserve it i.e. protecting possums to some degree. No one wants to lose their livelihood.
The dairy industry in NZ provides a somewhat comparable example. Despite the massive strain dairying places on the environment, particularly waterways, it is an industry that is continuing to grow with seemingly little controls.
Like many who work or have worked in the Pest Animal Control sector I am also a hunter, and I think of myself as an environmentalist. I have been involved in the use of 1080 and other toxins to control possums and other animals, and have seen the effects of these tools upon both target and non target species, along with other methods of control such as trapping and hunting. I have also had first hand experience of what happens to forest ecologies when we do nothing. To me the alternative to the use of 1080 and other toxins is at this point in time completely abhorrent. They are I believe, as the title of the documentary suggests, a necessary evil and we must live with the disadvantages of their use along with the advantages until such time as a more viable alternative method of control emerges. DOC, Animal Health Boards, Regional Councils, and other organisations that employ these toxins do so for the right reasons, and should be encouraged to do so, while at the same time being constantly encouraged to lessen the risks associated, and seek better ways of application, and aternatives to their use.
In response to Steve F about why other countries ban 1080 – it’s easy: 1080 kills land mammmals. Apart from our bats, we have no native land mammals in our bush. All those countries that have banned the stuff have native mammmals. So NZ is one of the rare countries lucky enough to be able to use 1080, to deal with our extremely bad luck having our bush overrun with mammallian pests. As for ths nonsense about “non-target species” – oh yeah, the great animal lovers that worry about Bambi suffering a horrible death before they can get close enough to blow his brains out!!
1080 is a tool used on 13% of the doC land area applied by doC $ and AHB $. Some additional private land is covered via AHB $. Our forests are dying not just because of mamalian pests but the ecosystem imbalance is now most likely too great to reverse, does that mean we do nothing, no way.
The ecosystem imbalance caused by over taxing natural resources on a land and at sea means the energy cycle is disrupted and forest-part of the entire ecosystem, health / hau ora(well being) is in decline.
The issue with 1080 is is it safe is it overall positively / good?, the invertebrate research in waterways indicate it is a safe toxin relative to not using it at all.
Deer in numbers, like any obsession are dangerous, keeping the numbers down is essential, the sad thing is the rec hunters can’t do it, (they foster herd expansion,as did possum hunters and fitch and some goat farmers hence the anti 1080 campaign they run) this is well documented hence the need for cull.
the 1080 issue that concerns me is the need to develop the new technologies to supersede 1080, this is slow as the govt budgets R&D, like fish research, is capped due to calculated cost benefit of spending more on R&D is just not going to pay back to the economic accounting system, hence the status quo of medocre decline is locked in by a paradigm of profit drivers within society.
How do we overcome this if ? the national goal is consistent with the govt Biodiversity Strategy 2000, to turn the tide on indigenous biodicversity decline?.
A war footing is almost needed to halt the decline, hence our definition of success on the 1080 / biodiversity decline issue must bias to mediocrity which is at best the statusquo internationally. Don’t be dissappointed. Dare to struggle dare to take the journey and you will feel better as will the forests and their many associations, manu, koaro, kokupu, lizards, frogs, invertebrates etc will – a little, but alas not enough is being done to turn the tide on biodiversity decline. Do not cease.
It would be great if we didn’t have to wipe out the cute, wee sods, but we have to stop Enzed ending up being a green desert. Do a reality check… how is trapping, or land based poisoning going to make more than a dent in even the 1.2 million Ha of bush that is Fiordland unless you direct over 50,000 people to work on it full time? Then go there and figure out how people can even walk around most of it. And would they enjoy being in there in winter? Brrr!!!!….
Having had our property done 3 times in the last 16 years-4000acres- the resulting bird life and forest growth has been incredible, and yes there are still pigs and deer about. An ecological report done two years ago has backed what we have seen and the comment was how healthy the bio system is from top predators, ie.hawks, right down to the ground dwellers ie tomtits, robins etc.
For 37 years I’ve been involved in forest, high country and pest management. I have repeatedly seen the benefits of 1080 for NZ’s forests and wildlife. Ironically, if 1080 had been used more widely as a deer control tool 50 years ago, our deer and forests in New Zealand would be better for it. Deer themselves, and their irreversible impact on NZ native dicotyledonous plants (monocots handle grazing much better) have killed more deer than 1080 ever has.
The very short growing seasons and incredibly slow growth rates in our high country forests on one hand, and the ability of deer to double their numbers every 3 years on the other, meant that deer always were going to decline eventually – along with the condition of the forests they occupy.
1080 is not the culprit. Prejudice, procrastination and politics are.
10.80 kills more than pests.Sadly it is not mammalian specific.It is a universal poison.Was fist registered as an insecticide,found to be to broad spectrum.If it only it killed pests there wouldn’t be the controversy.The DoC acknowledge the mortality of non target species kea,weka,hawk,tomtit,robin etc,due to direct poisoning and secondary poisoning.I congratulate DoC for doing what run holders have tried to do for years,get rid of the keas.The radio tagged kea that died in westland is a classic example of the DoC putting the blinkers on regarding “by-kill” it has taken them until last year to finally test the impact of 10.80 on the our endemic sub alpine parrot.Birds do not come back from the dead regardless of what DoC says,those genes are gone from the pool forever!The kea is naturally inquistive,for sure it will check out the 10.80 lolly scramble of death,and the result,1000-5000 kea left(DoC estimate).In my view 10.80 was never a solution,too many non target casulties.When you poison Papatuanuku(grandmother earth)you poison your Moko.10.80 aerial application is the height of irresponsibility and it needs to be stopped before it’s too late.
All I can say, is what has happened to all the birds on the West Coast. I cant beleive that a World Heritage National Park that used to be alive with the sound of birdsong, is now deathly quiet. And DoC has been aerial dropping that area for years. For goodness sake use other methods.
Please stop using 1080. It is very powerful and kills everything not just the target pest. It is so sad that South Westland a World Heritage Area is now silent because of 1080. For Goodness sake investigate and use other methods that will not do so much harm like hunting and trapping.
This silent forests thing is a real issue. But the cause of the silence has been mistaken.
The thing is, the reason the forests are silent is because every single night, all over the country, a host of four-legged furries (remember there were no native mammals in NZ except the bats), are devouring our native species, in every forest, bushblock, wetland, dune system, riverbed, you name it. THEY are the cause of the silent forests. I’ve spent plenty of time in NZ bush that has been treated with 1080 and the bird song speaks for itself.
Why do you think the noise of birds (bellbirds, kokako, tui, kaka) is deafening on Little Barrier Island – NO PESTS. they were all poisoned off five years ago, and the bush and birds have responded with a unique chorus that we should be hearing all over NZ.
If we lost this pest control now, we would be kissing goodbye our natural legacy. tell that to your grandchildren.
oh and on kea – 31% of kea nests (mums, babies, eggs) get wiped out by predators (stoats, rats, possums) where there is no pest control.
95% of kiwi never make it to six months old – due to predation. No kiwi have ever been found to have died as a result of 1080. we must do something to protect our national icons and the other unique birds.
The skull and crossbones on the 1080 container and all the warnings on it as well make one want to run a mile. 1080 is one of the worst toxins known to man and there is only factory in the world that produces it and we, in NZ, buy almost all of it.
There is a golden goose on our doorstep. If we trapped possums, we could sell the fur – China in particular would take all we could give and the could earn ourselves literally millions of dollars in export earnings – and create jobs for trappers, those who process the meat, those who make garments from the skins. Once 1080 has been applied though, the fur is worthless. The arguments that trappers would not go into the high. hilly country is nonsense because I’ve spoken to some of them and they will go where the possums are.
I wish had the wherewithall to start up a busines as it would make a fortune – and at the same time, leave the rest of the animals, insects, birds,fauna alone. Many are killed by a secondary method, i.e. eating the carcases of the dead possums. The law actually says that possums killed by 108 must be gathered and either buried or burned, but the Animals Health and various pest control officers do not do this so the bodies are left to rot and insects, birds, other animals etc. feed off the poisoned carcases, and this actually affects the DNA of these other species. 1080 is a deadly poison and whilst some may feel it can be used to kill only possums when bait stations are set, when it is dropped from the air, it falls in streams and where other animals can eat it. the water in streams eventually gets into the river and into the water supplies that we drink. We are told that it is in such minute quantities that it can’t hurt us but that is nonsense as it gradually builds up. I wouldn’t be surprised if many of our illnesses today come from the indiscriminate use of toxins such as 1080.
Hi Pat,
It sounds like you have genuine concerns, but one of the things about 1080 is that it breaks down in waterways (2000 samples over fifteen years, none at a level that would even begin to impact on human health – ie. you would have to drink a swimming pool of water in one go for it to register as a detectable trace in your body).
1080 also doesn’t build up in the body (which is why you can’t die from drinking tea every morning, which contains traces of sodium monofluoroacetate). see here for more http://www.stuff.co.nz/opinion/585703
As for waterways – i’d recommend this video to get a sense of the science. This is by a respected freshwater scientist, who did a study on freshwater crayfish (koura) to see whether 1080 built up in their bodies. it makes interesting viewing.
nic,you clearly work for DoC.Stop verbatimly regurgitating lies.10.80 does not breakdown in water its called dillutionh.Microbes are required to cleave the flourine atom,which are not as abundant as claimed in nature.
Hi Logan,
have seen the DVD. nothing in there that’s new in terms of the anti-1080 argument. oh and everything i said was backed by science – easy to find online – happy to provide it if you get stuck.
the rat and possum were filmed outside in the bush (ie. not a set up) near Waikanae. The author of the video has not staged it, but is a legendary wildlife photographer who has worked long enough in the bush to know how these things work. no pet possums mate.
as for slow and painful ways to die, i reckon native birds who never evolved alongside introduced mammals getting their throats ripped out and their chicks and eggs stolen is pretty slow and painful.
The kea nesting ‘rubbish’ is pure science. feel free to look it up.
Here’s the latest info on kea and 1080.
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=10592047
oh and 31% of kea nests (ie families) are wiped out by predators where there’s no pest control. Save the kea indeed!
Cheers
Logan,
You claim you investigated the source of the possum rat images and found them to be fake!
However I have looked into these images and they were in fact taken via IR triggered camera and are actually a series of still images not video. Disturbingly, members of the anti 1080 lobby have threatened the person who took the photos. I can see why you find the pictures so threatening as they actually tell the real story of threats to birds!
I conducted a quick search and found the Doc person was quite right about an ongoing kea study, here is a link so you can broaden your knowledge base. It didn’t take long at all to find this information.
http://www.stuff.co.nz/nelson-mail/news/2767029/Good-result-for-Mt-Arthur-kea
All,
The comments that have recently been posted show how strongly people feel about this topic, which is good to see.
However I am concerned that a couple of them have begun to become a bit personal.
This site is intended to allow people to raise any concerns they may have with the use of 1080, and to present any information that they believe backs up their argument.
I can understand that some people are angry about certain aspects of the 1080 debate, however we do not condone this anger being expressed in a personal manner, and in future I will edit or remove any comments that I believe to be vindictive or in any way slanderous.
What the 1080 discussion needs (and what we hope to show in our film) is that people need to listen to the information presented on each side of the argument, talk to people about it, and then make up their own minds.
Shouting at each other, or trading insults will not change anything.
hi im not against 1080 in gound bait but airel drops are out i live in the maruia we have air drops by doc and animal health board they dont care that the bait goes into our water supply or a deer opossum or anything esle is poisoned and is dead in the creek after the drop sorry i do we rely on the water for house use and the milking shed where milk goes to u the public its what happens after the event is the problem think about this when u get your next glass of milk this happens all over nz how long does it take for a deer to brake down in a creek or any other animal or bird a man in belenim got fined for two native birds that got caught in his opossum traps do the people who drop the 1080 get fined for killing a weka kea etc i think what is good for one should be good for all or whats next think about this love two here your comment
I ahve read your blogs, both for anf against ther use of 1080. Now please listen to me. Having lived on the West Coast of the South Island, in picturesque Franz Josef Glacier for over 15 years, I too have experienced firsthand the devastating effects of 1080 on the wildlife and the people living in the village. Not were only native birds birds and a range of other animal found dead but pets (such as guinea pigs & rabbits, birds, domestic cats and dogs died from its effects too. The health of the villagers was affected, including mine. Miscarrages were rife. Heart palpitations and racing heart beats affected some in the village. I abhor the use of 1080. I abhor DOC’s persistent, relentless use of the product – their blody mindedness in continuing to use a product the rest of world has banned baffles me totally. In the 1970′s there was a very good system of trapping oppossums on the Coast – this activity brought money to the keen local children. Doc banned these trapping runs and then the oppossums began to take over the bush. Today, the bush is rife with these pests. Bring back baiting and/or trapping (humanely, of course), so our bush can continue to live on, wherever it is in New Zealand! I am not interested in reading what any JAFFA has to day on this topic – this subject is open only to those who work and live in the bush, no one else.
DOC….Destroying our Country… is what it really stands for. They have to mess with everything. There is a bird called yellow head (not sure of correct name) down Glenorchy that is very endagered so what do DOC go and do….. arial bomb it with 1080. Hello what do you think is going to happen. We all know it kills birds you only needed to see the red faced DOC idiots after they killed 13 Kea in Franz Josef to know it kills birds and native ones at that. But apparently that is alright so we are lead to believe by that stupid DOC propaganda womand who appears as spokeswoman when things go wrong, lead to believe it is ok to bowl a few “endangered” Kea as they are targeting the possums who in turn eat their eggs and bla bla bla, We get fined $10,000 if we kill a Kea but its ok for DOC to. They are gathering information to ariel 1080 the Whataroa area winter 2010…right on my doorstep and many others, we need this stuff banned, they GPS our water catchment so they dont fly bait over it but what about all the dead rotting animals that will end up in our water.
Why are DOC/Animal Helath Board soooo f@#king stupid..wisen up people I thought we are meant to be “100% pure New Zealand”
And to rattle on some more….animals suffer a grueling death, a deer takes anywhere from 6 -16 hours to slowley die from 1080 and it aint pretty, just coz we cant see them doesnt mean we can turn a blind eye to what happens to our poor creatures who unfortunatley get caught in its war path.
For anyone who loves 1080 I put my hand up to chuck a bit of bait down your pets throat and then see how you like it…..but then again I will get fined or at the most a jail sentance…………….
I think people are getting a little brainwashed by those who chant the loudest and are not stopping to think this through.
Possums absolutely decimate the New Zealand forest and birds – which in turn leads to a massive decrease in native NZ birds. It has proved again and again that 1080 drops effectively (and remember, the solution must be affordable and efficient – which trapping is often not) control these introduced pests, allowing our native bush to regenerate and our beautiful birds to again flourish.
Yes 1080 has its downsides but make sure you look at the whole picture before jumping on a bandwagon. Do your research.
The hunters are worried about deer and pigs being killed because it ruins their “fun” – hunting! It should be remembered that deer and pigs are introduced pests also (and dogs and cats for that matter.) Nobody wants to see animals die but we must control possums or get ready to say goodbye to much of our native forest, rata trees, and the beautiful bird song that they bring.
And what about 1080 – it is actually a naturally occurring poison found in certain native Australian plants (plants that keep the possum population under control in Australia but let them ravage our NZ bush). And the drops of 1080 are only a very small amount of actual 1080 – most of the drop is flour, cinnamon, water and carrot and other natural ingredients.
To everyone having a go at members of DOC…lets just remember who these people are. Men and women who love the environment, plants and animals, who study for years to end up in a probably not highly paid role where they can conserve our native flora and fauna, because that is their passion.
Just ask yourself before you jump on the anti 1080 bandwagon – do you know the whole story? Do you know the science? Can you be sure that our forests won’t be decimated by possums if DoC stopped using 1080? Think! Research! Analyse.
(Disclaimer: I do not work for DOC and am not involved in the industry. I do however wish to see our forests and birds conserved and wish that Kiwis would start thinking for themselves).
Hey Anna, I have some questions, you suggest knowing the whole story before jumping on bandwagons. I assume then you have watched ‘Poisoning Paradise’.
What are your reasons for choosing the DoC (government) line over the opposition as put forward in the graf brothers film?
This decimation by possums seems to be in dispute, yet since you know the whole story, why do you take the side of the government?
I agree that the solution must be affordable.
We have I believe over 100,000 unemployed people in this country. How many could be employed in the trapping/fur industry? Wouldn’t the average tax payer want some of the benefit burden lifted, & those taxes better spent elsewhere?
If (and I do say if) it is true that 1080 is destroying our ecological systems, then 1080 would hardly be the affordable solution when the costs of repairing the situation were countered in.
“Nobody wants to see animals die but we must control possums or get ready to say goodbye to much of our native forest, rata trees, and the beautiful bird song that they bring.”
In the context of your post Anna, you seem to imply that it’s aerial 1080 drops or nothing. When aerial 1080 drops are not the only option.
There’s video footage of our native birds eating 1080 laced pellets. And evidence of them dying from it. Perhaps if there was a poison that only affected possoms, there wouldn’t be so much opposition?
If 1080 is so effective, why must it be dropped every 3 years?
I’ve spoken to 3-4 ex or current DoC field staff & they were all against 1080. No doubt there are some pro as well. Just because someone has joined DoC doesn’t mean they believe in 1080. They can be pro environment & anti 1080 while still working for DoC. I believe that most of the ground staff are doing the right thing & are helping preserve our wildlife. However I’m suspicious of some of the people in the offices, some of whom have never set foot in our native bush.
I would suggest that most people are against DoC policy, not individual staff.
“They must find it difficult, those who have taken authority as the truth… Rather than truth as the authority” – G. Massey
“Non-mainstream Media” refers to any other media outlet that doesn’t fall under the 90+ percent owned by the global media conglomerates. Unlike corporate media, the non-mainstream is driven by a desire for the truth – not profits.
NZ is the only country in the world that allows 1080 to be aerial dropped and it’s not only being aerial dropped in forests, it’s being aerial dropped in areas that are accessible by foot and as close as 50m from peoples homes and water supplies.
1080 is an unnecessary evil that should be banned immediately.
To those of you who support 1080, try living in a drop zone. Most of you would soon change your tune
Poisons have been used for pest-control purposes in NZ for at least the past 30-years, but during that time the populations of “pest” species have only increased. If conservation ecology has taught us anything, it is that poisons are always detrimental to ecosystem stability. If left alone, predator-prey cycles reach a dynamic equilibrium (i.e. the Lotka-Volterra model). However, every time poison is introduced, the system is pushed away from its equilibrium.
If we do not stop poisoning NZ’s land and water we can expect the ecosystem to collapse. Come on people, this is basic ecology! Organisms interact with each other and with their physical-chemical environment. We are not just poisoning the possums and rats, we are poisoning the whole ecosystem!
I have read that rats, not birds, bounce back following 1080 drops.
I can now back up that claim.
Since 1080 was aerial dropped beside my property last year, I have been plagued by rats. At least 30 rats have been trapped within weeks. They have eaten into the wiring in my home and even into the spark plug leads in my car. I never saw one rat before that drop and trying to continue with my B&B is now an impossibility
It’s funny how the possum population was 70 million in the 1950′s and after over 50 years of dropping 1080 all over those little buggers, we still had 70 million possums in 2009. When it was pointed out to DoC that 1080 wasn’t having any effect on the possum numbers at all, they suddenly realised that the possum population had dropped from 70 million to 30 million overnight.
Nice try DoC
I read this: Hawks are the best weapon against rats.
But after 1080 drops most of the hawks are dead which could explain why we are being plagued by rats.I used to see dozens of hawks. Since 1080 I have hardly seen any.
Now with an over abundance of rats, surely more of the birds that DoC want to protect are going to die.
Don’t go away DoC. I’m looking forward to reading a reply.
@Caz You read that “rats, not birds, bounce back following 1080 drops” and that you “can now back up that claim”. If indeed you did read that, “bouncing back” is likely to have implied returning to previous population numbers and not significantly more than before. I would like to know what context you read that in. Also, there are a plethora of reasons that might explain why the rat population has grown where you are so claiming it is the result of 1080 is rather unfounded.
Regarding possum numbers, it is unlikely that possum numbers will ever decrease significantly but it is possible to contain numbers through an integrated management scheme (i.e. trapping, set baiting and aerial drops).
You also read that “Hawks are the best weapon against rats”. Rats spend a fair amount of time on the forest floor, an area not generally hunted by hawks. Also, hawks do not specifically prey on rats, but are more opportunistic and will prey on birds and rodents.
Can someone please provide a link to where I can view all the science justifying the use of 1080 on mainland NZ?
News articles and interviews are of interest but with such an emotive topic they are of little value considering their vulnerability to personal bias.
Michael, might I suggest doing a simple keyword using the following keywords “1080″ AND “New Zealand” search on http://scholar.google.co.nz. Here you will find peer reviewed journal articles allowing you to read them and make up your own mind based on scientific evidence.
Michael, we had to do a lot of research on the available science for our film, and I am sure that different people will have different opinions on what they class as “science” on the issue.
A lot of the issues exist around results of ecological surveys, which are based on small bird populations, and so are never going to be very statistically conclusive. There is always some doubt or risk. As you can see from the various posts on this blog, peoples opinion differ quite dramtically on whether the benefits outweigh the risks.
The scientists who make statements in our documentaries are published scientists who have a lot of knowledge in the areas they are discussing.
Lincoln university have done some work pulling together some of the available science, which is a good starting point. http://www.lincoln.ac.nz/1080.
Thanks Jarrod and Nomadpeter.
I will look at both of these sites.
Great job in this post! It was very insightful. I’ve saved the link to your site and I am sure that I’m going to return again in future.
1080 is an indiscriminate poison and its use should
have been abandoned long ago. It has been used for decades so why use something so toxic to all oxygen-breathing organisms when it is not effectively doing the job. It is just a bureaucratic money-making
venture for a few.
Who measures 1080 residues in our milk and meat that we consume??
We have many unemployed folk in this country who could do with work in the possum industry. Our tax dollar would be better spent encouraging the industry
and we would save taxpayers a lot of money not spending it on 1080.
I would recommend (Dr.)Meriel Watts book “Poisoning
of New Zealand”. This book is a wake-up call to
all New Zealanders. Do you wonder why we have so many
health issues and birth defects in this country – take
a real look at what is sprayed and laid in the way
of poisons.
We are far from 100% clean and green (unfortunatley).
Check this out:
Evaluating 1080 Another view.
Pesticides, Profits and Public Relations
Thanks for the post. It was entertaining to say the least. However I’m not sure how serious anyone will take a cartoon that has the protagonists doing random disco moves and passing wind from time to time!
Not sure if this is supposed to be a serious attempt at discrediting the recent 1080 review and judgement, or just a light hearted mockery of political processes. Think it fails on both accounts.
Hi im doing a Research assignment on the effects of 1080 on the environment, and the controversey surronding its use. Does any one know where i can find unbiased peer reviewed articles on either of these subjects?
Hi Callum, we did a lot of research for our film. There is research available regarding the effects of 1080 or Sodium monofluoroacetate.
I suggest starting at the wikipedia page http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sodium_fluoroacetate and look at all the references at the bottom. YOu will find some good papers by Charlie Eason who did studies into the effects of sodium monofluroacetate, and also links to DOC papers studying the effects of 1080 drops on wildlife – both native and non native.
A lot of the problems regarding this issue is that as with many issues like this, the Science is not “Exact”. In fact any scientific experiment involving sampling of data will alos contain some degree of uncertainty. Especially regarding the benefits/issues of 1080 on native wildlife – you are often basing results on counts of birds for example, and so population sizes are often small, causing the degree of certainty to be larger. People who are against 1080, whether rightly or wrongly, will always concentrate on those elements of uncertainty as being too risky.
Its a matter of weighing up the costs vs the benefits. Those against 1080 believe the potential risks and costs outweigh the benefits, but ERMA and DOC believe that in New Zealand, the benefits outweigh the potential risks.
Happy to chat further – just drop me an e-mail at badwolffilms@gmail.com
Also happy to send you a copy of our DVD that we believe is an informative, unbiased look at some of the major issues.