KEY POINTS:
A West Coast deer farmer has lost two thirds of his herd after deadly 1080 pellets were dropped over his property.
Before the Animal Health Board drop last Friday, allegedly including a night time drop, Wayne Fairhall of Kaiata, 5km east of Greymouth, had 16 deer grazing his
farm block.
By yesterday, 10 of the animals were dead after grazing on the poisoned pellets and most of the others were holed up in a clump of bush on the farm, their fate unknown..
Mr Fairhall said the on Monday the deer were running around fine but when he returned home from work on Tuesday he found a dead deer in the gateway.
"I got worried and started walking through the paddock and found more deer. I went round and there was 1080 everywhere."
His partner Anthea found a deer in its death throes while feeding out on Wednesday.
"She just sat with it, crying, while it called out. No one should have to witness that."
The 1080 pellets were meant to be confined to the native bush and hills behind the farm.
But Vector Control Services, owned by the West Coast Regional Council, disputed Mr Fairhall's claim that the pellet drop had missed the intended zone, saying they had written permission to drop 1080 in the paddock and that stock food had been given to make up for the loss of grazing.
However, Mr Fairhall said that permission had been to drop 1080 only in the bush on their property at the back of the farm, and claimed the deer paddocks were meant to be off limits.
"It was my father's and my understanding that the paddocks were excluded."
The poisoned paddock has been shut off to the remaining herd, but it may be too late.
The farm also has a number of domestic rabbits, horses, cows, ducks, and a huge array of native birds including yellowheads and waxeyes.
"It is a huge disappointment that we are losing the native birds, and now our herd," Mr Fairhall said.
"I'm not happy to accept this at all. I'm not happy with how this has been handled. It's a severe case of mis-communication."
Vector Control Services manager Randal Beal said he was satisfied no flight "oversights" had occurred.
Mr Fairhall intends to claim for compensation but said that would not make up for the suffering of his animals.
Mr Beal said there were two options: "the bait was shifted or Wayne and his father mis-communicated.
"If it's our mistake, but I don't believe it is, we will look after them, it's a sensitive issue at the moment."
Meanwhile two parcels, believed to contain 1080, delivered in Wellington yesterday did not appear to be linked to a similar episode a month ago, police said.
In June, police said they had received seven reports of suspected 1080 being delivered to government agencies in Wellington and Nelson.
Police said there did not appear to be a link between the packages received yesterday and those that were sent in June.
Poisoned pellets have also been scattered on the steps of Parliament and fake pellets deposited in Christchurch's Hagley Park and Botanical Gardens. An attempt had also been made to poison a Greymouth pest control officer's dog with 1080.
It was revealed on Thursday that security officers from Wellington have been flown to Greymouth to be bodyguards for West Coast Regional Council and vector control staff involved in 1080 poisoning operations because of worries about protests.
- NZPA
