Todd McClay: Shelves will be kept 1080 free

Countdown has removed infant formula from its shelves, in response to the threats. Photo / Bridie Witton

Last week, a potentially devastating blackmail threat to contaminate infant formula powder with 1080 poison was revealed by the Police.

Letters, with samples of infant formula containing traces of 1080 poison, were sent to the offices of Fonterra, New Zealand's largest supplier of milk products, and Federated Farmers New Zealand. The letters contained threats to contaminate formula in protest against the Department of Conservation's (DoC) use of 1080 in combating pests in our native forests.

Since being notified in late November last year, the response has been government-wide. The Ministry for Primary Industries has worked closely with Police and other ministries and agencies to determine whether the threat is real and put safeguards in place to reduce any risk to lives.

The 1080 poison is used in the battle to keep our native birds and forests protected from pests like possums, rats and stoats. It is used on conservation and private land and is scientifically accepted as an effective means of protecting our environment.

In 2011, the Parliamentary Commissioner for the Environment Dr Jan Wright published a report evaluating the use of 1080. She concluded that it should continue to be used and that there were no viably effective alternatives.

Personally I do not like 1080, never have, but having researched the chemical and its use extensively since becoming your MP, I have reluctantly accepted that it is currently the most effective way to protect our native species and environment.

Since November, a 1080 testing programme has been put in place, and over 40,000 tests have been conducted on infant formula in the past few weeks. These tests have confirmed that there are no traces of 1080 in any of our infant formula or other formula products.

As an extra precaution, tests were also conducted on formula produced before the threat was received, to September last year. These tests also confirmed no traces of 1080.

The probability of this criminal act being carried through is low because the manufacturing process within factories is very well contained and secure. Products are being batch tested thoroughly, before being sent to the supermarket shelf in tamper-proof packaging.

However, the Government continues to be concerned by this threat because of its potential impact on human health and our economy. We export a large amount of infant and other formula overseas, and as has been shown in the past, any problems with contamination have serious impacts on international confidence in our products.

Because of this, the Government has been keeping our international trading partners up to date with what's going on to ensure their maintained confidence in our manufacturing process and end product.

I want to reassure parents that everything possible is being done to ensure dried milk products are safe, and that extra testing and security measures have been implemented as an extra safeguard.

We now have comprehensive 1080 testing regimes for dairy products, which gives us a high degree of confidence that it's extremely unlikely anybody could deliberately contaminate formula during manufacturing, and that there is no evidence of this ever having occurred before.

The Government has been working with retailers and others to ensure safety along the supply chain, with the advice being not to consume any food product that has had the tamper-proof seal removed or altered.

Concerned parents can find detailed information on how to check products or find more information at www.foodprotection.govt.nz.

- If you have any suspicion or knowledge relating to this serious threat to contaminate baby milk powder with 1080, please contact the police directly.