Rabbit-killing virus import planned

A group of regional councils are joining forces to legally import the rabbit-killing virus originally smuggled into New Zealand and spread by farmers.

The Marlborough District Council is supporting Southland's regional council in its proposal to import rabbit haemorrhagic disease.

The councils have asked other regional councils to help to pay the $25,000 cost of getting approval from the Environmental Risk Management Agency and registering the product as a "veterinary medicine".

The disease was first spread in 1997, without any approvals, after its illegal import from Australia.