The Biosecurity Section of Canterbury Regional Council has applied for a resource consent for the use of 1080 and pindone for the control of rabbits, wallabies and to a lesser extent, possums through the targeted spread of carrot bait and cereal pellets by aerial drop or through ground baiting on land within dry riverbeds within the Canterbury region.
The application was made at the request of the region’s pest district committees and other land-occupiers as part of an integrated approach to regional pest management. The consent would be for use predominantly on private land and control operations will only be carried out with permission from the land owner/occupier or at their request.
The application was prepared on behalf of the Biosecurity Section by Golder Associates, New Zealand Ltd. The consent application was publicly notified on due to the anticipated level of public interest. The period allowed for submissions from stakeholders and members of the general public closed on Friday 4 June 2010.
Application
Application and checklist (1.28 MB)
Application cover letter (42 KB)
Assessment of Environmental Effects (3.38 MB)
Submissions
Contact customer services to request a CD copy of submissions by calling
0800 324636.
Hearings
Having been postponed due to the 4 September earthquake, the revised dates and venue for the hearing are now confirmed as follows:
The hearing will take place from 27-29 October and from 1-3 November 2010 as needed. Proceedings will start at 9.30am on the first day and then as advised by the commissioners at the end of each day.
Venue update: The hearing will be held at the Trustbank Lounge, Christchurch Netball Centre, 455 Hagley Avenue, Christchurch.
External commissioners Barry Loe and Robin Dalamore will conduct the hearing, having been chosen for their relevant expertise and experience.
The hearing is open to the general public but only the applicants, invited experts and submitters on the application who also asked to be heard will be able to address the commissioners.
Any enquiries regarding the hearing schedule should be directed to Ciana Cerri in the Environment Canterbury hearings team on 03 364 9808 or ciana.cerri@ecan.govt.nz
How the consent would operate
If granted, the consent would facilitate the use of 1080 and pindone in appropriate circumstances by accredited operators only, without the need for an individual consent for each use.
Pest control work carried out under the consent would:
- as a minimum requirement, comply with standards set by the Environmental Risk Management Agency (ERMA) and with the provisions of the Resource Management Act.
- be managed by Environment Canterbury’s Biosecurity section using best practice protocols.
- be monitored by Environment Canterbury monitoring and compliance staff to ensure that operations under the consent are carried out according to consent conditions.
An outline of the process from the hearing onwards
- The external commissioner/s hold/s a hearing, allowing those who requested to speak to their submission to do so. They can either make a final decision (see below) or release a preliminary decision and invite further input from affected parties or submitters.
- Having received further input if requested, the external commissioners make a decision to grant or decline the application within 15 days of a hearing closing and may then direct Environment Canterbury staff regarding consent conditions.
- The applicant or a submitter may appeal to the Environment Court against the decision if they disagree with it.
Decision
The Hearing Commissioners have granted the application subject to conditions for the Biosecurity Section of the Canterbury Regional Council to discharge sodium fluoroacetate (1080) and pindone onto land everywhere in the Canterbury region except where excluded by the conditions. The duration of the consent is for 15 years.