Claim of 1080 drop stonewalling

Photo: ODT files
Photo: ODT files
Luggate residents opposed to an aerial drop of 1080 poison on hills above the town believe they are being stonewalled by Ospri, the government agency planning the work.

The leader of the Luggate group, Tracey Morrow, told the Otago Daily Times yesterday her attempts to arrange meetings with Ospri to discuss the operation had come to nought.

"Every phone call I've made I've had to leave a message. I've been diverted; I've been hung up on ... The Dunedin office is just avoiding me.

"I'm a bit fed up, to be honest.

"Nobody's communicating with us and I think that is not OK.

"The problem is, most of these people think if they ignore you, you will go away."

The operation, on 2000ha in the Alice Burn conservation area, is designed to kill possums that might carry Tb.

Earlier this month, members of an Ospri group walked out of a drop-in event about the operation, saying they felt "unsafe" when about 30 members of the public arrived.

Ms Morrow said then nobody was "even vaguely menacing or threatening".

Yesterday she said Ospri had not carried out a proper public consultation.

The community member in charge of an irrigation dam providing water to Luggate had not been consulted.

"Things need to be shut down and shut off to make sure nobody's using the water."

The Alice Burn operation is scheduled for next month.

Ms Morrow said the public was given only 24 hours notice of a 1080 drop at Timaru Creek, near Lake Hawea, this week.

"If people want to go away, that's not enough time."

Luggate residents have said previously they are concerned 1080 poison could contaminate water supplies and kill native falcons.

Ms Morrow said she had sent an objection to WorkSafe about the potential dangers from dust from the 1080 drop.

In response to her complaints, Ospri yesterday provided the Otago Daily Times with a statement to be attributed to an "Ospri spokesperson".

The statement said the operation was "a direct response to a locally infected herd", and consultation with the community began in 2017.

"We have been actively consulting with landowners, stakeholders and those genuinely affected by the operation."

Users of a domestic water supply in the operational area had been consulted.

"Mitigation measures will depend on individual users and consent conditions," the statement said.

"It is important to note that there will be no health risks to users of this water supply."

 

 

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