The Environmental Risk Management Authority (Erma) is preparing to review the controversial poison 1080, and hopes to make rulings about its use by the end of the year.
Authority chairman Neil Walter appeared before the environment select committee yesterday and said Erma was now ready to deal with the Department of
Conservation's application for a reassessment of 1080.
DoC uses the poison mostly to try to control possums that are consuming native forest at a rate of thousands of tonnes a night, and preying on nesting native birds.
Mr Walter told MPs that DoC had put its application on hold while changes to legislation were made to enable a proper process.
He said he hoped the review could be completed by December.
It would be a "rigorous" examination that covered 1080 and its effects, including different application methods and use in different conditions.
Erma chief executive Basil Walker said DoC and the Animal Health Board were being "extremely careful" in preparing their application.
Dr Walker said 1080 had been identified as a hazardous substance and its use should be reviewed because of controversy over its use and the amount of new information that was now available about the poison.
DoC had decided to be "pro-active" and seek the review.
"That was good news for us as it was always going to be an expensive application to deal with," Dr Walker said.
"It's always good to have an applicant to help pay the cost."
Erma had a wide range of powers to use once the review came to conclusion, ranging from banning 1080 to restating approval or changing the controls of the substance.
"At this stage of the game anything is possible and I wouldn't like to speculate on what the outcome might be," Dr Walker said.
The review would include hearings and could take some weeks to complete, before Erma began considering its findings.
The review was delayed because Erma did not believe the Hazardous and New Organisms Act gave it wide enough legal powers to deal with the 1080 reassessment application.
The necessary amendments to ensure this were passed in March.
- NZPA
Herald Feature: Conservation and Environment
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