Pest destruction future

Press, 22 June 1984, Page 23

Pest destruction future

The pest destruction organisation must have a future controlling vertebrate pests in New Zealand and continue to protect the country’s agriculture, horticulture and animal health, the chairman of the Agriculture Pest Destruction Council, Mr Ged Foley, has said in his annual report. Over the past few years the organisation has had to survive cuts in Government funding and a review of its operations which resulted in recommendations for farreaching structural and financial changes. Mr Foley said since the organisation lost two crucial battles it appeared to lose direction and lacked any positive industry or government-imposed aims or objectives.

These battles were over the introduction of rabbit farming, which the organisation opposed, and the continuation of the dollar-for-dollar subsidy on pest board rates.

The Government proposed that pest boards raise their maximum rate levels and its reluctance to increase the amount of taxpayers’ money spent on pest destruction led to the formation of a review committee, set up to examine the industry’s organisation and finances.

Reactions from many in the pest destruction industry to the resulting review committee report and recommendations were “negative”, Mr Foley said, although some saw the report as a “postive” document that would have a significant bearing on future policies and pest management strategies. He said the industry would have to accept many changes if it was to survive. The council had made recommendations to the Government for a five-year pest destruction programme designed to provide a cost-efficient service.

The council was still

waiting for a Government response to the programme. In the meantime the Government had allocated $7 million in the industry for the next 12 months.