By ANNE BESTON and CATHY ARONSON
The Government's $90 million campaign to eradicate a tiny moth pest is facing mounting opposition.
West Aucklanders plan protests against next week's start of an aerial spraying campaign against the painted apple moth.
Prime Minister Helen Clark was targeted at the weekend when protesters
rallied outside her Mt Eden home.
Today, senior Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry (MAF) officials, including Director-General Murray Sherwin, are due to meet Waitakere Mayor Bob Harvey and his council to discuss MAF's controversial insecticide operation against the moth.
Mr Harvey has expressed anger that his ratepayers could face three years of aerial spraying of Foray 48B, or Btk, and has given MAF's latest plans only lukewarm support.
Yesterday, he said he was demanding to know from MAF just what was in the spray. That has been a commercial secret since it was used in the white spotted tussock moth operation over East Auckland households in 1996.
The council was trying to protect residents' health and would "review its situation" depending on what MAF offered at the meeting, Mr Harvey said.
"I am not looking for a scrap, we are simply keeping our powder dry."
MAF spokesman Brett Sangster played down the visit, saying the ministry was also setting up meetings with other Auckland leaders.
But protesters are mobilising against the spraying, with one group appealing to the Office of the Ombudsmen for an injunction to stop it from going ahead.
Glendene businessman Alan Samuels says his group has also organised a protest march and rally two days before the Fokker aircraft is due to take off.
"I believe we can stop this. It's totally undemocratic," he said.
Mr Harvey confirmed he would be at the rally.
Long-time anti-spraying protester Helen Wiseman-Dare said she welcomed support from anyone wanting to stop the operation.
She and about 50 fellow protesters gathered outside Helen Clark's home on Saturday.
But only the police protection squad could be seen and the protesters suspected, correctly, that the Prime Minister was on her way to the Warriors' NRL final in Australia.
About 160,000 West Auckland residents are in the target spray zone and the Fokker Friendship spray aircraft is due to take off, probably from Whenuapai Airbase, next Monday.
Further reading
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