12.00pm - By ANNE BESTON and NZPA
The possum poison 1080 will undergo a reassessment of its use in New Zealand, something that hasn't been done since it was first registered as a pesticide in 1964.
Announcing the review today, the Environmental Risk Management Authority (Erma) said there was "significant new information"
relating to its effects, and a significant change in the quantity of the poison being used in New Zealand.
The reassessment will be advertised publicly, and submissions on it accepted over six weeks, though preparation of the reassessment application by the Animal Health Board (AHB) and the Department of Conservation, is expected to take several months.
Poisoning programmes overseen by the two bodies use about 80 per cent of the world supply of sodium fluoroacetate, the United States-manufactured poison which is the active ingredient in 1080 compound.
The AHB, a Government-funded independent body responsible for controlling possums in New Zealand because of the animals' ability to pass Bovine TB to cattle, is taking the initiative but denies it wants to pre-empt the anti-1080 lobby.
"We are just keen to see the process happen to enable it to be an objective public process, this was always going to happen anyway," said AHB communications manager Nick Hancox.
The poison, used over about 2 million hectares of New Zealand every year to kill possums, will be reassessed under the Hazardous Substances and New Organisms Act which came into force in 1996.
It has taken years for the authorities under the Act to be set up and begin doing their work.
Erma, the authority responsible for the 1080 reassessment is the same organisation used to approve genetically modified organisms in this country.
Chemical poisons such as 1080 are on a list to be reassessed as part of Erma's work under the HSNO Act.
Public submissions will be called for and will be open for six weeks but there is no timeframe set yet for the application by AHB to go to Erma.
nzherald.co.nz/environment
