The Press MONDAY, FEBRUARY 9, 1970. Replacing D.D.T.

Press, Volume CIX, Issue 32217, 9 February 1970, Page 14

The Press MONDAY, FEBRUARY 9, 1970. Replacing D.D.T.

The announcement by the Minister of Agriculture, Mr Carter, that the use of D.D.T. on farmlands is to be prohibited from June 30 is not unexpected. For some years pressure has been building up all over the world against the use of this chemical; and importing countries have become increasingly concerned—and legislatively exacting—about the levels of residues in imported foodstuffs. Opinions still differ widely about the degree to which D.D.T. constitutes a danger to human health: but New Zealand clearly has no choice but to respect the opinions and meet the requirements of its overseas customers. If they insist on strict residue limits, New Zealand, to protect its export trade, must abjure the use of D.D.T.

Because this action is taken in the interest of every New Zealander farmers should not have to bear" the consequences alone. They will have to use other, no less effective, means of controlling pests; and an early announcement should be expected from the Government on measures to make suitable alternative chemicals available at reasonable cost. Unfortunately, the choice of alternatives is not as simple as might appear. In August last year one of New Zealand’s foremost authorities on the control of grass grub and porina, Mr J. M. Kelsey, of the Entomology Division of the Department of Scientific and Industrial Research at Lincoln, warned the annual conference of the New Zealand Weed and Pest Control Society of the need for caution in resorting to chemicals in the organophosphate group, which are being proposed as alternatives to D.D.T. Mr Kelsey said that, because of their high toxicity, these chemicals might be a serious hazard to people handling them. He also reported that in experiments these chemicals had been shown to kill organisms in the soil—sufficient reason to have them looked at very closely before they were allowed to be used widely on farms. The Government has a responsibility to see that D.D.T. is not replaced by more dangerous materials.