Thread: Tell 'em they're dreaming . . . Govt announces new policy, predator free by 2050

The PM's comment that every part of NZ will be targeted is a pretty big task, imagine how much this is going to cost. To be most effective it would need to be a rolling operation with no let up as reinvasion would be occurring straight away. I think any one who thinks eradication is possible especially with the species mentioned is dreaming.
When I was still employed as a Pest Officer in the BOP, DOC, EBOP and Environment Waikato agree to eradicate wallabies in our regions, I left 6 years ago and still the surveys continue to see how far they have spread, but no closer to eradication. It is a nice thought to do these things and rid the country of these pests but unless they develop better ways to do control work it won't happen.
We as hunters know the challenges of our back country and how difficult it will be to carry out the work, and if the powers to be think spraying 1080 is the answer they are wrong, look at how long 1080 has been used and still the pests are there.
Going back to the wallaby eradication plan we figured that after an area had it's initial control operation most likely 1080, contractors on foot would have to hunt the control area three times with trained wallaby indicator dogs before the area would be considered wallaby free.
That would mean every square meter would need checking not once but three times..... now apply that to this current plan and apply that to the whole country for not one species but three ... who's going to pay.
Don't need to be a genius to work out it is highly unlikely this plan will not work. Who's to say deer etc won't be targeted next?