Money for pest control needed

Press, 26 August 1982, Page 13

Money for pest control needed

Westport reporter Social Credit’s South Island spokesman. Mr Eamon O'Connor, said that the reduction in grants to pest destruction boards could eventually prove to be financially disastrous to farmers in particular areas, and New Zealand as a whole. Mr O'Connor said that unless increased funds were allocated immediately for rabbit control in Central Otago, farmers in the area would face the same situation that drove their predecessors from the land earlier this century. ■ ■ A reduction in grants to other boards combined with the effect on rabbit population of released or escaped pet or commercial rabbits could soon cause problems in other South Island districts, said Mr O'Connor. “On the West Coast of the South Island the reduction in grants towards opossum control will almost certainly lead to an upsurge in bovine tuberculosis which almost destroyed dairying in Buller and Inangahua in the 1960 s t and early 19705. he said. ?

Until ‘this year the high price of opossum skins had ensured that they were kept in control by commercial hunters, but recent poor prices had led to a reduction of trapping. The inevitable result had been a rapid rise in the opossum population on the West Coast. Mr O’Connor said that even if only a few of these became infected, it would certainly result in a rise in tuberculosis on farms. “The Animal Health Division of the Ministry of Agriculture should recall the millions of dollars that it took to control T.B. in the 1960 s and early 70s and put pressure on Government to increase the allocation of money for opossum control on the West Cohst.” he said.