Banned Insecticide Used On Govt. Land

Press, Volume CII, Issue 30178, 9 July 1963, Page 15

Banned Insecticide Used On Govt. Land

(New Zealand Press Association)

INVERCARGILL, July 8.

The prohibited insecticide, deildrin, which was withdrawn from farms, merchants and manufacturers two years ago, is being sprayed from the air on vast blocks of Government' development land in the Mossburn-Te Anau district.

All the deildrin withdrawn from circulaticn in the South Island will be used on Government land there. Similarly. all the deildrin withdrawn in the North Island will be used on development blocks in the Rotorua-Taupo region.

Officials of Federated Farmers tonight expressed grave concern at the possible effect on stock of the deildrin products.

Deildrin was withdrawn from use in New Zealand by the Government after meat in the United States was rejected when insecticide traces were detected.

Rather than face the possibility of being “shut out” of toe American market, where official meat inspection is rigid, the Government decided to prohibit the use of toe material.

In a telephone interview tonight, toe Minister of. Agriculture (Mr Taiboys) said the insecticides would be applied only to fallow ground. There was absolutely no danger of

the material being assimilated into pasture subsequently sown on the fallow land. Mr Taiboys had been asked to comment on the farmers' comments that “the land will be no good for stock for 40 years,” and “if the Government can use it. why can’t we?”

Mr Taiboys admitted that plans to dump the deildrin in the sea had been opposed violently by the Marine Department, and a plan to pour it all down a disused coalmine and cover the mine had also been rejected after protests.