More suburbs to be sprayed in new $90m moth campaign

5.45pm

The Government will spend another $90 million trying to eradicate the painted apple moth "beast" despite the possibility it could fail, Biosecurity Minister Jim Sutton announced today.

The three-year eradication programme will involve extending the current aerial spraying programme to between 8000 and 12,000 hectares covering Auckland suburbs such as Henderson, Te Atatu, Glen Eden, New Lynn and Point Chevalier.

Between 117,000 and 165,000 people live in the increased spray zone.

A previous $23.3m programme had failed to wipe out the pest, which was discovered in 2000 and could cost the nation $58m to $356m over 20 years.

"Technical advice is that eradication of the painted apple moth is still possible, despite larval finds outside the current zone," Mr Sutton said.

"Cabinet has decided to go ahead with another eradication attempt to try to achieve this."

That decision was taken against Treasury advice, which warned $90m over three years, plus the $23.3m already spent, could not be justified on economic grounds.

"Given the history of spread of the painted apple moth, the cost over-runs of significantly small eradication attempts, the estimated 20-40 per cent chance of failure attributed by the technical advisory group to any future, we remain doubtful about the feasibility of this programme," Treasury said in a briefing paper to cabinet.

"We are of the view that the economic impacts of the painted apple moth are likely to be towards the lower end of the estimated range, that is $58m, with an additional unquantifiable impact on the conservation estate."

However, the Ministry of Agriculture and Fisheries, the Department of Conservation and the Ministry of Research, Science and Technology all recommended the programme continue.

Public resistance was expected; people claimed the last aerial spraying programme caused adverse health effects, including respiratory problems.

"There is a low risk of the spray causing severe health impacts to susceptible individuals, despite the health monitoring and support programme included in the programme," the cabinet paper warned.

"There is a high risk that the programme would continue to attract significant negative community reaction, particularly given its three-year duration and that in the worst case some areas could be sprayed up to 40 times."

However, Mr Sutton said he believed the programme would be "as safe as these things can be".

"The risk of this beast becoming endemic in the environment is greater," he said.

The Government would provide risk management plans for people with acute health problems, including relocating them outside the spray zone if necessary.

It would also provide a health support programme for residents to get advice on health concerns, with free medical consultations.

However, the paper warned that more than expected "sensitive" people needing health risk management plans could blow the programme's budget.

Other risks the paper warned of included:

* Potential claims to the courts or the Waitangi Tribunal;

* claims for loss of income compensation from people relocated from the spray zone under health risk management programmes;

* loss of public co-operation with the programme;

* sabotage;

* a negative effect on populations of threatened moths or butterflies in west Auckland.

Spraying will be done at three-week intervals and starts next month.

- NZPA

Further reading:
nzherald.co.nz/environment