so why does doc have to lie about the use of 1080? have you been into the bush and seen it first hand? i've seen it in waterways, i know dogs that have died 14 months after 1080 drops due to flooding and dead carcasses washing down waterways! i know of 1080 being found and tested 6 months after a drop containig 3 times the amount of 1080 that doc says they put in it! i don't disagree with 1080, but i think it needs to be controoled better, yeah there are some ares that need to be aerial dropped, but as for the rest of it, it needs to be done by foot! after 50 odd years 1080 still isn't working and pests are getting worse! i would quite happily spend my days running traplines, one person could run trap lines over 500 hec of land and do more damage than 1080 does in quarter the time, doc needs to be more honest!!

It is obvious that the only data considered reliable in the 1080 debate is that supplied by DOC. In this example of their data certain Kea were radio tagged to asses the death rate caused by 1080. 'DOC fitted radio transmitters to 29 West Coast kea - 10 in Arawhata Valley, two in the Hohonu Range, and 17 near the (Franz) and Fox Glaciers - to see if they survived 1080 drops. All birds in the first two areas survived, but seven near the glacier died. Testing confirmed 1080 poisoning.'( NZ Herald July 30th 2008) Now on the face of it this seems ok, but if you imagine that for every 100 birds in the area, by my reckoning, and I am not a mathematician, 41 Kea were killed by the D.O.C.(41,000 per100,000) And then a I am led to believe that by some miracle bordering on Divine intervention none were killed anywhere else.Now I may be nuts or a conspiracy theorist or born at night, but I was not born last night and I do not consider these numbers acceptable, nor am I inclined to believe that no 'collateral damage' occurred in the other areas. Records of Kea deaths (by 1080) have been documented as early as 1964 (Spurr, 1979; 1999) The members of ERMA consist of a retired Diplomat, a Chemistry lecturer, a Lawyer, and someone with a degree in Maori studies. I don't have the answer to the possum poison thing. but I think we are playing a very dangerous game spreading many tons of the most powerful poison registered by the UN all over the country. The World Health Organization (WHO) has a lot of things to say in its Toxicity Report about sodium fluoroacetate (1080)including..... 1.4.4 Unintended effects: very toxic to birds, domestic animals and wildlife. High risk of secondary poisoning to carnivorous and omnivorous species from eating poisoned carcasses.

4.1.3 .... Baits should not be used where there is a risk of contaminating food, animal feeding stuffs or drinking or washing water. Exposed baits should be laid in containers clearly marked "Poison". Baits should not be laid unless all access by children and animals other than rats and mice can be prevented. Except in locked unoccupied premises baits should not remain down for more than 24 hours. All exposed baits and their containers should be removed after treatment and burned. Rodent bodies should be searched for and destroyed by burning. Nutters, what would they know, our D.O.C. research shows it is perfectly safe around water, and a warning sign makes it safe for children. According to my book of Extinct NZ birds, written by Alan Tennyson the main causes of bird extinctions in NZ are, in order, Humans, Rats and dare I mention them, the sacred NZ cat. Possums, that get all the attention are at the bottom of a long list (14th), and 'may have'caused the extinction of one species, the South Island Kokako. May have.

Wow John you really are nutt for 1080 aren't you. Certainly got some people to read one of your otherwise boring columns for once well done. I fully recognise the contribution livestock makes to the NZ economy and this is why I'm so anti 1080. How long before our foreign markets find the 1080 we use as an excuse to stop buying our products. We use 80% of the worlds supply, it's banned everywhere and the poison signs are hardly good for our 100% pure tourism industry either. Also how many possums gave TB to livestock last year versus how much livestock was accidentally killed by poor 1080 distribution?

Isnt good journalism about portraying the facts in an unbiased fashion? Maybe the Taupo decision points out that the issue of 1080 being rained on our bush does need more consideration as to its long term effects on our environment? And shows it is not just nutters opposed to it?

great article, the nutters will hate it!

Yes, there is a need to reduce the possum population. Some argue that there is a need to reduce the world's population too. I hope that DOC, and the writer of this article do not have a say in world population solutions! The above piece is poor journalism. Go to http://www.thegrafboys.org/ for the movie Poisoning Paradise, and see what Doc is doing to our country and find out another side to this story.

Bravo Jon Morgan A well written piece with some common sense at last. TB or 1080.

How can you honestly believe that all anti-1080 supporters are “nutters or extremists”? I don’t consider myself as either of the aforementioned but given the small amount of actual scientific data find it difficult to support the use of 1080. As there’s no other equally effective alternative, I don’t fully denounce 1080. However, I am concerned with the indiscriminate killing of endemic species which has been recorded. The opposition to 1080 should be viewed positively as it may force increased funding and fresh thinking in the areas of pest management research. This is supported by many non-“extremists”, including scientists and academics concerned with animal ethics and/or welfare. I believe the “nutters” referred to are the outdoors-people regularly in the environment and they shouldn’t be condemned for voicing their opinions which are often based on personal experience. Stating Taupo may become “better known as a refuge for irrational extremists” is also rather severe. Taupo is a tourist Mecca. It’s therefore logical to try and increase the clean green image of NZ many people value, hence reducing the application of 1080. If Mr Morgan read and understood the published scientific research he may realise it isn't quite as straight forward as he currently believes. This article seems to be written without the proper, unbiased understanding required to comment on something as topical as 1080 and its application. It is interesting to note that the first instigators of change are always regarded as “extremists or nutters”. Nice comment Tim Elliot My 2c

Perhaps the author should take note that it is illegal to deliberately cause inhumane death to animals and even worse to native bird species. Calling people who are concerned about the environmental effects and inhumane killing which 1080 has proven to do, as 'nutters' demonstrates the authors own twisted sense of morality. There is a reason why no one else in the world does as DOC does with 1080.

It's interesting to note the reaction from opponents of 1080. Regardless of motivation they invariably give scant consideration to the importance of agriculture to this nation’s collective wealth. Not to mention the many unique and iconic native species which also contribute to the economy through tourism opportunities and brand recognition. Person ally I am sick and tired of this vocal minority who seek to protect their interests at the expense of everyone else. They are very quick to decry the various agencies involved in animal pest control for using toxins and yet they’re quite happy to enjoy the convenience of getting in their vehicle and driving to a hunting spot. Absolutely no mention of the pollution that fossil fuels cause. Seems we have a group of people who are very principled but also very selective in the application of those principles.