Spraying for painted apple moth to continue over winter

5.00pm

Spraying to combat the painted apple moth is to continue intermittently throughout the winter.

The Government today approved the next 12 months of the pest's eradication programme.

Biosecurity Minister Jim Sutton said aerial spraying would be carried out every three to four weeks in certain locations around Auckland until September.

The areas targeted include 80 hectares at Hobsonville; 200 ha at Riverpark; 250ha at Ranui/Swanson; 250ha at Waikumete Cemetery; and 110ha at Motions/Meola Creek.

Cabinet has agreed to the next 12 months of the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry's (MAF) three-year eradication programme.

Members of the public would be able to find out when spraying would be carried out in their area.

Weather permitting, the aerial operation would be carried out on a single day, starting at 7am and finishing at midday. There would be no spraying between 8am and 9am on days that children travelled to school.

"MAF is endeavouring to have areas sprayed in a prescribed order so that residents will know the approximate time the aircraft will be in their area," Mr Sutton said in a statement.

Local radio stations would also advertise when the spraying was to occur.

Mr Sutton was confident the programme would be successful.

"...with only two moths caught during the past two months, we have an excellent prospect of eradicating the painted apple moth," he said.

"We're starting to build up a reasonable knowledge of tools that could be useful in confining it and reducing its spread if we fail to eradicate the pest.

"One of those tools will be ongoing spraying, but at a reduced frequency."

MAF has so farm spent about $90 million on its eradication operation, which targeted a 10,000ha zone in northern and western Auckland.

MAF has had to temporarily relocate some people each spray day because of claimed adverse affects on health.

The bill for health-affected residents is $1.52 million for the past six months. The costs include everything from phoning families on spray days to motel accommodation.

MAF has offered assistance to 3350 people over the past six months.

A protest group has complained to the Office of the Ombudsman that the Health Ministry was too slow in investigating the adverse health effects suffered by people sprayed with Foray48B.

Officials have said the spray was safe for people.

- NZPA