Personally i'm all for control of so called pests, bearing in mind nearly everything and everyone is an introduced species of some sort !
i just cant get my head around the mass spread of any dangerous chemical on the country side of what once was supposed to be an unpolluted pristine country with a reputation for fresh clean streams, fresh produce and relatively unpolluted fresh air. Well we will have to wait for nearly 100 years before the over application of fertiliser leaches into the once clear lakes (Taupo is an example)and if the process of fencing off streams and planting their banks with plant life is taken seriously then maybe the effluent from our dairy farms will be reduced and your kids will be able to swim in the streams with out fear of ingesting some bacteria or bug that could potentially kill them? The bush has been changed possibly for good by our grandfathers ( clear felling native trees), deforestation of the land for farming etc etc. The good old possum was introduced originally for the fur trade and at the time i wouldn't mind betting some one got a pat on the back for the potential income that this would have generated at the time?
I just know that when i have hunted in forest that has been previously been subjected to intensive poisoning from aerial drops there is nothing around, no bird life no deer, pigs and may be the possums are reduced for a few months too. As a hunter i am amazed that some of us can still support poisoning on this scale. But hey this is a free country we are all entitled to an opinion !!
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