EPA proposes ban on weedkiller Chlorthal-Dimethyl
The Environmental Protection Authority (EPA) is consulting on a proposal to ban weedkillers containing chlorthal-dimethyl (DCPA).
The aerial use of 1080 during 2017 covered 875,000 ha of land, says the Environmental Protection Authority (EPA).
In its report the EPA says there were 50 1080 aerial operations in the year.
General Manager of the EPA’s hazardous substances group Dr Fiona Thomson-Carter says 1080 remains one of the most strictly controlled hazardous substances in New Zealand.
“It is a critical tool in the ongoing fight to protect our native birds from introduced predators – possums, rodents (rats and mice) and stoats,” she says.
“While around 30 research projects continue to look at 1080 alternatives and ways to improve the targeting of pests, the EPA believes the current rules around 1080 keep people and the environment safe.
The report includes information on 12 incidents of non-compliance with the rules, and three complaints reported to the EPA; all 12 incidents were investigated and none posed significant risk to public health or the environment.
“During 2016, there were 36 operations which covered a total of 1,051,201 hectares of land, due mainly to the Department of Conservation’s Battle for our Birds programme,” she says.
Foot and Mouth Disease outbreaks could have a detrimental impact on any country's rural sector, as seen in the United Kingdom's 2000 outbreak that saw the compulsory slaughter of over six million animals.
The Ministry for the Environment is joining as a national award sponsor in the Ballance Farm Environment Awards (BFEA from next year).
Kiwis are wasting less of their food than they were two years ago, and this has been enough to push New Zealand’s total household food waste bill lower, the 2025 Rabobank KiwiHarvest Food Waste survey has found.
OPINION: Sir Lockwood Smith has clearly and succinctly defined what academic freedom is all about, the boundaries around it and the responsibility that goes with this privilege.
DairyNZ says its plantain programme continues to deliver promising results, with new data confirming that modest levels of plantain in pastures reduce nitrogen leaching, offering farmers a practical, science-backed tool to meet environmental goals.
According to the most recent Rabobank Rural Confidence Survey, farmer confidence has inched higher, reaching its second highest reading in the last decade.
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