Myxomatosis case back with Minister

Press, 9 October 1987, Page 29

Myxomatosis case back with Minister

Representatives of the Agricultural Pest Destruction Council will meet the Minister of Agriculture, Mr Moyle, on Thursday to discuss the latest developments in the myxomatosis debate.

A report from the Parliamentary Commissioner for the Environment, Mrs Helen Hughes, recently recommended against the introduction of myxomatosis to control rabbits. Although disappointed at the Commissioner’s recommendation, supporters of myxomatosis have taken heart from the Commissioner’s acknowledgement that myxomatosis was an option in the battle against rabbits. The Commissioner’s report recommended that the Government channel taxpayer money towards a long-term sustainable solution to the rabbit problem, rather than bring in myxomatosis. Taxpayer input would be justified if New Zealand preferred a myxoma-tosis-free country, said the report. There was a case for taxpayer support to destock or retire the worst affected land and to develop an integrated land management package. Myxomatosis should be left in reserve as a last resort, the report recommended.

Mr Moyle has described the report as a fair judgment of the myxomatosis issue, but some comments from farmers in rabbitinfested areas indicate that they don’t regard the report highly. While obviously disagreeing with the report’s recommendation against the introduction of myxomatosis, the farmers claim that the report is not sufficiently specific on who will do the rabbit control work and where this support will come from. Farmers say they are realistic about the public opposition to myxomatosis, but argue that there is no workable alternative method of killing rabbits. A spokesman for Mr Moyle’s office said the Minister had called for a report from his department on the findings of the Commissioner. He expected to receive some guidelines from his advisers before the meeting with the A.P.D.C. The Government was faced with three options for the rabbit control programme, says the Commissioner’s report. The first option was to do nothing, in which case desertification would continue in the semi-arid zone and an illegal introduction of myxomatosis would be highly probable. The second option was to approve the introduction of myxomatosis which would resolve the chronic rabbit problem in the intractable areas. This option was affordable, but would be against the wishes of a large number of New Zealanders. As well, myxomatosis would attenuate and the rabbit population could again reach problem proportions. The third option was

for the Government to intervene, recognising that prevention of myxomatosis could have high social benefits and result in a long term sustainable solution. Control by present poisoning methods was no longer satisfactory in areas where rabbits were bait shy, nor was It affordable under a policy of user pays in heavily infested areas.

Among the points noted by the investigating team were the strong public opposition to the introduction of myxomatosis. At best, myxomatosis could be viewed only as a medium term solution, and as myxomatosis was considered to be a national solution, the scale of the problem would not warrant its introduction. The introduction of the European rabbit flea and the myxoma virus would be irreversible actions andd neither the flea or the virus could be confined to the problem area, said the report.

There was still a biological risk involved in the importation of another foreign anthropod and disease organism, and the introduction of myxomatosis was seen as forgoing an opportunity to use a potential resource (feral rabbits). Alternative options were available which had not been fully investigated or used, said the report.

The Commissioner endorsed previous reports tha rabbits were a serious problem in the high-risk semi-arid zone of the South Island (covering 100,000 to 130,000 ha). The areas most at risk comprised less than 0.5 per cent of New Zealand and rabbit numbers hd been reduced by control measures (mostly 1080 poison) and by pasture improvement and land management to about 5 per cent of the 1940-50 population. The report recommended that no funding should be made available for night shooting of rabbits and programmes which poisoned the same area every year. Night shooting was a waste of time and money and poisoning every one or two years might result in natural selection for a bait-shy population.

Fears that commercialisation of feral rabbits could aggravate the rabbit problem were unjustified, said the report, in recommending that commercial restrictions on feral rabbit products be removed from the Agricultural Pests Destruction Act. Though the likelihood of a large scale commercialisation of the feral rabbit was unlikely, New Zealand cottage industries could benefit from a move to recommercialise feral rabbits, said the report. The Commissioner conceded that there was some risk that myxomatosis would be introduced illegally into New Zealand. “A number of people have made such threats oq! various occasions, inceiling during the investi-

gating team’s visit to the South Island. “That myxomatosis has not as yet arrived in New Zealand encourages the team to believe that individuals are acting responsibly,” said the report. An illegal introduction could be Ineffective without the full scientific and administrative arrangements necessary for a successful control method. Because the penalties for the illegal introduction of organisms under the. Animal Act appeared to be insufficient to actively discourage importation, the Commissioner recommended that the fine be increased to $20,000.

Whether myxomatosis was introduced or not, the Commissioner suggested that long term land management options were necessary to achieve a long term solution to the rabbit control problem.

“These need to be encouraged by the Government; without energy input into the pastoral farming engaged in these problem areas, land degradation will continue.”

Scientists, planners and administrators had to work together with farmers to achieve changes in management and attitudes and a solution which was not detrimental to the environment.

The Commissioner recommended that local task forces be established urgently in Central Otago, Upper Waitaki and the Clarence/Awatere areas to work out an integrated land management package over a period of three to six months. The task forces would have representatives from landholders and all key agencies.

The Crown should assume responsibility for rabbit control in the intractable areas, recommended the report. A special three-person scientific group should be appointed for five years to devise a method of dealing with bait-shy rab-

bits in the intractable area. An objective for the scientific group would be to achieve a low density rabbit population with annual control costs lower than $400,000 (in 1987 terms) by 1993 — this was about the same as the total annual expenditure of the Alexandra Pest Destruction Board. The report suggested the Crown’s responsibility should continue up to five

years or until rabbit conttol could be assumed by a regional agency. The scientific group should be funded by money that would otherwise have gone to the Alexandra Board. The report recommended that the A.P.D.C. allocate $lOO,OOO to the Ministry for the Environmeent to establish the local task force groups to deal with the high to moderate risk areas, and

that a one-off allocation of SSM be made available for an integrated land management package. Another recommendation was that Federated Farmers look at asking the Wool Board to place a levy of about 0.1 per cent on wool prices at the farm gate to raise funds for rabbit research. This would help pay for Improving rabbit Control methods and, ultimately, reduce pest board rates.