Below is my reply to the Green Party after they tried to defend aerial 1080.
Hi Eugenie,
I assume that you did mean to write to me. My name is Martin. I also assume you have a copy of my proposal.
The proposal is based on my own successful experience of trapping and autopsying possums to rid the possum population of TB. AHB/TBFree knew of this work at the time I did it, and claimed that, although my work did target TB possums effectively, 1080 was cheaper.
The publicly quoted prices for aerial 1080 areas, typically $12-20/ha, are only 1/3 of the costs being spent on these areas.
TBFree has admitted, in an independent audit in 2010, that they are spending $40+/ha. This does not include extra costs like chew-card monitoring, employing contractors to clean up areas where 1080 has not killed enough possums, catching wildlife to autopsy for TB and administration costs that are only associated with aerial 1080. This would mean that, when all the costs are added up, aerial 1080 would be costing at least 3 times what is being publicly quoted by the 1080 industry.
The trapping proposal example has a cost of $10/ha/yr if the contract runs for 10 years. TBFree are typically laying aerial 1080 every 3 years which would make my proposal at least 25% cheaper, on the $40+/ha quote, and 50% cheaper when the extra costs are added in. The other difference is that the trapping proposal is able to identify the areas where TB is endemic, in the possum population, this is something that aerial 1080 cannot do.
In the areas where possums are found to be not infected with TB, the price is on a par-33% cheaper with aerial 1080 (through the early contract termination payments), with the bonus being that it is sure that TB is not endemic in the possum population. In areas where TB is found, the price does rise above aerial 1080 by the addition of the 6 monthly targeting of TB infected possum populations.
TBFree has also admitted that they have been monitoring post-aerial 1080 operations, against scientific advice, in a way that would ensure an under-estimation of the post operation possum population. I have proved this to be the case by analysing TBFree's own monitoring data from the Tararua Forest Park going back over 20 years.
I have spoken with trappers, that have been employed to trap behind TBFree poison operations, and they have told me that they are catching too many possums to justify TBFree's claims, that TBFree has publicly made, after the poison operations. TBFree has the records of the excessive numbers of possums caught on their own record files. The trappers cannot speak out publicly as they have been legally gagged, with clauses in their contract, and they are fearful that by speaking up they will be offered no more work.
Since I wrote my proposal, TBFree has released some scientific evidence that the mechanism for TB transfer, within the possum population, may not be den-sites and may be mother-to-joey, with adult females being geographically stable when they have claimed their territory, and young females setting up territories close to their mothers. Whatever the mechanism, TB infected possum populations seem to be geographically stable. The other point that came out of the TBFree information, is that female possums are the first to become poison/bait-shy and are the most difficult to kill with 1080.
All I am asking is that the aerial 1080 areas be put up for open and fair tender. If this was the case, trappers would prove that they are able to do a better job than aerial 1080 in a cost effective manner. Please remember, that trappers only get paid after they have fulfilled the requirements of the contract, which means that if the trapper fails the money is still available to be spent cleaning up. Whereas, with an aerial 1080 operation, most of the animal control money is spent before a single animal has died. Open and fair tendering would not exclude the users of self-setting traps, and other methods, including aerial 1080, from putting up their own tenders and proposals that would target the desired outcome.
My expertise lies with trapping and autopsying possums. However, I did ask the question, "Is DOC monitoring the canopy dwelling rats and stoats pre and post aerial 1080 operations?" The answer I got back was, "No, it is too expensive."
I am confident that if the conservation work was also put out to open and fair tender, then the experienced bushmen/women would find ways of targeting multi-species, as has been done by DOC, on a long term trial of 20 years, that appears to do a better long term job of controlling possums,rats,stoats,ferrets and cats than aerial 1080. This work has never been published and released to the public.
I have asked the manufacturer of the self-setting traps how much it would cost to use their traps. I was told $120/ha. It would appear, that the main cost is the traps themselves with the trade-off being the lowering of labor costs by not having to regularly visit the trap-sites.
The other point of concern, is that DOC has switched to Bite-Mark monitoring of possum populations. This is very concerning, as all the scientific evidence points to possum populations becoming poison/bait-shy after being exposed to 1080. The Bite-Mark monitoring relies on possums biting a wax-tag, which is something they are unlikely to do if they are poison/bait-shy. This means that DOC is not recording the poison/bait-shy possums present in the control area. I have also spoken to a possum control contractor that was been failed, on the strength of pigs biting the wax-tags, with both DOC and the regional council readers, of the bite-marks, recorded pig bites as possum bites.
Kind regards.....Martin Foote
On 25 June 2014 19:30, Eugenie Sage <Eugenie.Sage@parliament.govt.nz> wrote:
Dear Mike
Thanks for your email and apologies for the delay in replying. The Green Party is committed to promoting practical alternatives to aerial 1080 in areas that cause community concern such as close to waterways and residential areas. To this end the Green Party secured Government funding for large scale trials of self-setting traps under the Memorandum of Understanding between the National Government and the Green Party after the 2008 Election. I visited Lake Rotoiti in Nelson Lakes National Park to inspect one of the trials of these self-setting traps. The traps have or are being trialled on stoats, possums and rats. The traps are powered by small gas canisters and reset themselves each time they kill a pest, meaning that they need to be checked much less frequently. Each gas canister lasts for around 20 kills so may be able to be left to work without checking for up to 12 months. If they prove effective they may be able to be used more widely for ground-based pest control.
While alternatives to 1080 are being researched, these are not sufficiently developed to replace it. The Green Party will continue to advocate strongly for research and development to improve the safety, efficiency and effectiveness of pest control and for a variety of control methods to reduce the reliance on 1080.
Your suggestion to TB Free NZ that you be allowed to compete with aerial drops is interesting. TB Free uses a lot of ground based poisoning and trapping. Aerial control is about a third the price of ground based control and this may be why your offer was declined.
Yours sincerely,
Eugenie Sage, Green MP
