Pesticides in New Zealand
Encyclopedia
There is a high use of pesticides in New Zealand due predominantly to the large agricultural industry.

1080

Sodium fluoroacetate, commonly known as 1080, is used in new Zealand to control animal pests, specifically the possum
Common Brushtail Possum
The Common Brushtail Possum is a nocturnal, semi-arboreal marsupial of the family Phalangeridae, it is native to Australia, and the largest of the possums.Like most possums, the Common Brushtail is nocturnal...

 which threatens biodiversity and carries tuberculosus. Hunters
Hunting
Hunting is the practice of pursuing any living thing, usually wildlife, for food, recreation, or trade. In present-day use, the term refers to lawful hunting, as distinguished from poaching, which is the killing, trapping or capture of the hunted species contrary to applicable law...

 fear that 1080 impacts on game animals
Game (food)
Game is any animal hunted for food or not normally domesticated. Game animals are also hunted for sport.The type and range of animals hunted for food varies in different parts of the world. This will be influenced by climate, animal diversity, local taste and locally accepted view about what can or...

, and some environmentalists have concerns about long term influences on drinking water.

2,4,5-T

The use of 2,4,5-T is banned in New Zealand.

DDT

DDT was used extensively for agricultural use in the 1950s and 1960s to control grass grub and porina moth. It was also used on lawns and for market gardens. Some 500 tons was being applied annually by 1959. By the 1970s its use was restricted and it was finally banned in 1989. Residues are still found in livestock and in marine mammals.

Endosulfan

The Auckland City Council stopped using endosulfan in the mid 1990s and its use was banned by the Environmental Risk Management Authority
Environmental Risk Management Authority
The Environmental Risk Management Authority is a New Zealand government agency which controls the introduction of hazardous substances and new organisms....

 (ERMA) in December 2008 after a concerted campaign by environmental groups and the Green Party
Green Party of Aotearoa New Zealand
The Green Party of Aotearoa New Zealand is a political party that has seats in the New Zealand parliament. It focuses firstly on environmentalism, arguing that all other aspects of humanity will cease to be of concern if there is no environment to sustain it...

.

The non-approved use of endosulfan on cattle in 2007 led to the prosecution of a farmer and the halt of beef exports to Korea.

Testing as part of the Food Residues Surveillance Programme detects endosulfan in foods such as lettuce, strawberries and capsicum but are under 0.1 mg/kg.

In June 2008 the ERMA called for public submissions on the use of endosulfan after tighter controls had been placed on the pesticide in other countries. Submissions closed on 8 September 2008 and a total of 187 submissions were received.

The Green Party
Green Party of Aotearoa New Zealand
The Green Party of Aotearoa New Zealand is a political party that has seats in the New Zealand parliament. It focuses firstly on environmentalism, arguing that all other aspects of humanity will cease to be of concern if there is no environment to sustain it...

 surveyed the 85 councils in New Zealand and discovered that 18 of them had used endosulfan on sports grounds in the year preceding October 2008. They claimed that New Zealand is the only country to do so and advocated for a ban on the use of endosulfan.

ERMA placed a ban on endosulfan effective from 16 January 2009.

Methyl bromide

Methyl bromide is used as a fumigant for whole logs destined for export. There has been lobbying carried out recently to stop its use due to concerns for human health.

Aerial spraying programmes

Aerial spraying of West Auckland areas was carried out by the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry (MAF) to eliminate the invasive painted apple moth
Painted Apple Moth
Painted Apple Moth is a moth native to Australia. It is notable as a pest in pine forests, and is classified as a pest in New Zealand....

, a potential threat to the environment and economy. Foray 48B
Foray 48B
Foray 48B in an insecticide manufactured by Valent BioSciences used in forestry to selectively kill the larval stage of insect in the order Lepidoptera . The active ingredient is Bacillus thuringiensis var kurstaki ....

 was sprayed over populated West Auckland areas for 29 months involving 48 discrete spray events over 70 days. After the government declined to conduct a public inquiry into the spraying, a "people's inquiry" initiated by a number of academics delivered a report critical of MAF's approach to the issue.

Rural and city areas of Hamilton
Hamilton, New Zealand
Hamilton is the centre of New Zealand's fourth largest urban area, and Hamilton City is the country's fourth largest territorial authority. Hamilton is in the Waikato Region of the North Island, approximately south of Auckland...

 were sprayed to eradicate the gypsy moth
Gypsy moth
The gypsy moth, Lymantria dispar, is a moth in the family Lymantriidae of Eurasian origin. Originally ranging from Europe to Asia, it was introduced to North America in the late 1860s and has been expanding its range ever since...

.

See also

  • Environment of New Zealand
    Environment of New Zealand
    The environment of New Zealand is characterised by unique flora and fauna and a variety of landforms contained within a small island nation...

  • Environmental effects of pesticides
    Environmental effects of pesticides
    The environmental impact of pesticides is often greater than what is intended by those who use them. Over 98% of sprayed insecticides and 95% of herbicides reach a destination other than their target species, including nontarget species, air, water, bottom sediments, and food...

  • Gorse in New Zealand
    Gorse in New Zealand
    Gorse is a major invasive plant species in New Zealand and millions of dollars are spent on its control.Gorse is one of the most widely recognised agricultural weeds in New Zealand...


External links

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