1080 reassessment decision
The ERMA decision means aerial
1080 drops can continue, but
controls will be tighter
On 13 August 2007, a decision on the future use of 1080 (sodium fluoroacetate) in New Zealand was released by the Environmental Risk Management Authority (ERMA New Zealand).
The announcement marked the end of an intense five-year process following an application by the Animal Health Board (AHB) and Department of Conservation (DOC) to ERMA for reassessment of 1080 for use in pest control.
ERMA has allowed the continued use of 1080, including aerial applications, but has tightened up conditions of usage and recommended additional research to fill some of the current gaps in knowledge about 1080 and its effects.
The new controls for aerial drops include:
- establishing a watch list and requiring reports on aerial 1080 drops to be provided to ERMA so operations can be monitored
- strengthening existing controls for aerial drops
- promoting best practice for pre-operation planning, consultation and notification as well as the management of aerial operations.
The tighter controls on all operations cover:
- licensing for all people who possess 1080
- the requirement to notify neighbours about 1080 operations and better warning signs to the public, to stay in place for longer in case poisoned baits or carcasses still remain (DOC is involved in trials on the degradation of carcasses and the persistence of 1080 residues in the carcasses. This will enable more accurate 'reopening' of areas for hunters and others after a poisoning operation.)
- public notification about aerial drops
- restrictions or changes to 1080 formulations which could affect risks
- better consultation with iwi about planned operations
- reporting to ERMA required on all aerial operations covering consultation, any incidents and post-operation monitoring.
AHB Communications Manager, Nick Hancox, says the reassessment outcomes have been very constructive, and the reassessment delivered an important independent judgement on the use of 1080.
"AHB and DOC initiated the Reassessment because we saw it as important to help maintain public confidence in the use of 1080, especially aerial operations for possum control.
"We are pleased with the results and there were no big surprises for us. The new controls are around consistency and best practice, with more clarity around information for the public. Restrictions on things like removal of chaff from carrot baits [a risk to birds] are commonsense and were already a requirement for any AHB operations. We want to be at the forefront of best practice."
Nick says the tightened conditions will involve some additional costs, but these won't be significant.
"AHB has already done a lot of the development work needed to set up a register of all aerial 1080 drops, through a system called VectorNet, which will feed the information required directly to ERMA. DOC has a similar system, PestLink, which will do the same job for its operations."
The public register of 1080 operations will be in place by 1 January 2008.
Work to follow the recommendations for additional research is also well under way. Another toxin, zinc phosphide, is likely to be registered in 2008. This paste-based toxin will be able to be used in ground operations and is less of a danger to dogs than 1080, but has a similar effect on its targets.
ERMA has made recommendations for further research into the breakdown of 1080 in water, although AHB Research Manager Penny Fairbrother says it could be more cost-effective to model the dilution of the small amounts of 1080 that get into waterways and relate that to Ministry of Health guidelines on tolerable daily intakes for humans. Further discussions will be held with ERMA to determine the best research approach.
A soil transformation test has also been recommended, looking into how long 1080 takes to break down into harmless compounds in the soil. AHB and DOC are planning to undertake the recommended OECD tests for this research, taking into account temperature and presence of water - both of which affect breakdown.
Maori values are also catered for in the ERMA requirements, and AHB has already commissioned Lincoln University to investigate the risks from uptake of the 1080 toxin in watercress and puha, two important food plants for Maori.
A previous AHB research project undertaken by Lincoln University also looked into the effects of 1080 on two (one food and one medicinal) plants of significance to Maori: pikopiko and karamuramu. Even when 1080 bait was placed directly at the base of the plants, it was undetectable in the pikopiko foliage after the baits had leached out the toxin, and only detected at 5 parts per billion in the karamuramu - a negligible risk, and similar to the level of 1080 that may naturally be found in packaged tea leaves.
The AHB had anticipated the reassessment would require some additional research, and has allocated about $250,000 of its $2 million research budget for the purpose.
In the course of carrying out the reassessment, ERMA received 1,406 written submissions. More than 150 of these submitters also appeared at public hearings in Auckland, Hamilton, Wellington, Nelson, Christchurch and Dunedin.
The full ERMA report can be downloaded from:
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Page last updated: 30 April 2008