ANIMAL
CONTROL
PRODUCTS
The company at the heart of New Zealand’s vertebrate pest industry
SPECIAL EDITION INDUSTRY UPDATE
SEPTEMBER 2013
IMPORTANT MILESTONES IN BROAD SCALE CONTROL
D
uring the 1970’s, bovine Tb infection in wild
animal populations occurred in relatively few localities of both main islands. The NZ Forest Service, my employer at that time, carried out broad
scale possum control operations in these areas on
behalf of the Animal Health Board. The 1974 Tb
operation between Ohakune and National Park,
was my initiation to possum control using 1080.
Preparing carrot bait was a labour intensive exercise
involving lots of machinery which was not always reliable.
CEREAL PELLETS APPEAR
Four years later, I carried out an aerial 1080 operation aimed at restoring the remnant rata/kamahi
forest of the Southern Ruahines, which had been
decimated by possums. Field prepared carrot bait
and cereal pellets from Wanganui were used in
two separate blocks, with a view to comparing the
efficacy, cost and non-target effects associated
with the two bait types. The 0.15% 1080, greendyed, cut carrot was applied by Fletcher topdressing aircraft at 30kg per hectare and the 0.15%
1080, 6 gram pellet baits were also flown on by
Fletchers at 15kg per hectare. Both baits involved
“one-shot” toxic only drops as no pre-feeding was
prescribed. Monitoring suggested a 90% possum
kill was achieved in both blocks without any obvious collateral damage to wildlife, livestock or public relations. In fact exponential growth in kereru
numbers over the ensuing 10 years was reassuring
proof that 1080 operations could provide long
term benefits to native wildlife.
THE BENEFIT OF HINDSIGHT
The use of both carrot and pellet baits continued
with the NZ Forest Service eventually setting a
policy of 5kg/ha toxic only drops for possum control operations using pellets, something that the
Department of Conservation (DOC) also followed
for a few years. Looking back on that era 35 years
later, not pre-feeding was a mistake, the applica-
tion rates used were higher than they needed to
be in many cases, there were undoubtedly huge
untreated gaps in the coverage (GPS was not available) and the relatively small baits used had the
potential to sub-lethally poison the larger possums
and thus cause learned bait aversion.
PRECISION SOWING
In 1990, Richmond (Ditch) Harding of Wanganui
Aero Work Ltd called at the local DOC office to
acquaint me with the benefits of the new Trimble
“Trim Flight” GPS navigation system which he had
just purchased - the first unit of its kind in NZ. My
colleagues and I could see immediately that the
differential GPS system was going to dramatically
improve the precision in bait application rates and
coverage. And indeed, differential GPS did everything that Ditch Harding said it would do.
OPTIMUM BAIT SIZE & TOXICITY
In 1998 Diederik Meenken of the Wellington Regional Council phoned and asked me if ACP could
make toxic bait much larger than the usual 6 - 7
grams. He wanted to remove all of the small,
potentially sub-lethal pellets as far as possible.
Larger pellets would also individually deliver a
lethal dose to a 3kg or 4kg possum so sowing rates
could be further reduced as possums no longer
needed to forage, find and eat more than one bait
before the onset of symptoms. An old extrusion
die-plate for feral pig pellets was resurrected from
the depths of the ACP storage cupboard and an
hour later, the first 12 gram No.7 pellet was born!
The use of 0.08% pellets for possum control
ceased around the same time as new data came
to light showing that the LD100 for possums was
around 4 mg/kg - much higher than previously
believed.
SUCCESS IS CONTAGIOUS
Where 6 gram baits sown at 5kg/ha had sometimes struggled to achieve less than 5% RTC targets, Wellington Regional Council staff consistently achieved sub 2% RTCs using a pre-feed followed
by the new 12 gram toxic baits sown at 2 kg per
hectare. Other agencies noticed the success of
the Wellington approach and the 0.15% 1080 12
gram bait soon became the new standard for 1080
operations where possums were the primary target. Operators were also quick to notice that the
lower sowing rates used and wider swath widths
achieved with the larger baits significantly reduced the cost of aircraft hire. These steps were
collectively a quantum leap forward for the indus-
try. The use of GPS, return to pre-feeding, adoption of 12 gram toxic baits, reduced sowing rates
and use of 0.15% 1080 loadings gave better control outcomes with reduced risk.
BETTER BAITS, MUCH MORE CAPACITY
The advancements in baiting methods, bait size
and toxicity dramatically improved results, encouraging ACP to invest in the development and
commissioning of two new high capacity pellet
plants which could meet the seasonal peaks and
increasing demand. Over the next 15 years, as
12 gram No.7 pellets from “B Plant”
demand grew, ACP built 1,800 square metres of
additional factory and storage area. Production
capacity more than trebled and ACP introduced
new quality control systems, adopted new manufacturing methods, obtained new product registrations, commissioned a number of research projects as well as running its own in-house R&D programme.
AND ALL THE EXTRAS
ACP’s capital outlay on new production equipment
was followed by the purchase of increasingly sophisticated laboratory analysis equipment, installation of a massive steam boiler, a steam reticulation system, new dangerous goods security
measures, a re-vamped internet presence and use
of e-business, new packaging styles and better
transport options – all actions designed to meet
industry’s on-going demands for more precision,
better quality and better outcomes in a much
tighter regulatory environment. ACP’s focus towards growing production capacity and developing better suited, higher quality products have
helped the industry move forward in a cost effective and environmentally sustainable manner.
The following pages provide a look inside ACP’s
operation as it has evolved within a changing
pest management industry over the last decade
and a half.
Bill Simmons
Animal Control Products
ANIMAL CONTROL PRODUCTS: SPECIAL EDITION INDUSTRY UPDATE SEPTEMBER 2013
PAGE 2
OUR LATEST PRODUCTION UNIT : C PLANT
The company at the heart of New Zealand’s vertebrate pest industry
C PLANT STATISTICS
Floor area:
850 square metres
Type:
Radial ring-press pelletiser,
steam pressure augmented
Built:
2009
Products:
Principally non-toxic or
anticoagulants
Pellet size:
5.5mm, 10mm, 16mm, 20mm
(0.06 gram, 2 gram, 7 gram,
12 gram)
Pellet type: RS5, No.7, Pestoff Possum,
Pestoff Rodenticides, DECAL,
Hi-Strength Possum Bait.
Batch size:
500 kg
Output:
1 tonne per hour
Controls:
Touch screen computer
controlled (PLC)
Features:
Active forced-air pellet cooler,
bulk bag or standard bag
handler, 2 man operation.
S
hortly after building C Plant, ACP built a new 700 square metre purpose-built storage
shed (below) for raw materials and finished product. This provides buffer space for inwards bulk ingredients and outwards finished goods. This facility allows sufficient raw materials to be held in stock so that seamless production runs of toxic and non-toxic can occur
simultaneously. It allows more flexible delivery arrangements with clients – especially when
operations are unexpectedly delayed and short term storage is needed. Strategic placement
of doors, skylights and insulation gives optimum storage conditions also for stock lines.
ANIMAL CONTROL PRODUCTS: SPECIAL EDITION INDUSTRY UPDATE SEPTEMBER 2013
PAGE 3
STEAM IS AN ESSENTIAL INGREDIENT FOR QUALITY PELLETS
S
uperheated steam, when used correctly,
plays a critical role in the process of manufacturing robust, well finished pellets that
store well and perform effectively without
posing a risk of being a vehicle for hitch-hiking
pathogens or other unwanted organisms looking to invade New Zealand’s sensitive natural
areas.
Such temperatures can only be achieved
through the use of a pressure boiler and
steam reticulation system which enables the
various pellet ingredients to be steam
“conditioned” at 150 degrees Celsius or higher, prior to being pelletised.
By using superheated steam to pre-condition
the pellet mix and lubricate the pelletiser die,
Good steam quantity and quality combined the output rate improves, wear on machinery
with adequate steam pressure from a pressur- is reduced, the amount of energy required to
ised boiler are required to deliver superheat- pelletise is significantly reduced and fewer
ed steam in a highly gaseous state to the pellet press conditioner. Steam causes proteins
to denature and starches to gelatinise, resulting in molecular re-arrangement and integration of pellet ingredients from random into
structured patterns which produce a well finished product with a superior tensile strength
and a smooth, semi-glazed side wall.
blockages and breakdowns occur compared
with extrusion plants and presses which don’t
use steam and tends to use binding agents of
a wetter mix which must be thoroughly dried
out before being packaged.
The actual boiler used by ACP to produce superheated steam of up to 170 degrees Celsius,
was previously owned and used by a major
international airline to heat in-flight meals,
before the meals were loaded on board departing international flights.
A secondary important benefit of pelletising
with steam is the sanitising effect on pellet
ingredients. Pathogens, insects and viable
weed seeds are destroyed in the conditioner
before pelletising occurs. The relatively recent
discovery of germinating weeds from seeds
found within imported rodenticide products,
highlighted the need to ensure that viable
seeds, invertebrates and pathogens are not
contained in baits or packaging. A rigorous
regime of fumigating and sanitising premises
and equipment is also in force to ensure high
biosecurity and hygiene standards are maintained.
Strict quarantine requirements in force in
many of the countries which ACP exports to,
particularly Australia, require cereal based
products to be subjected to high temperature
treatment during the manufacturing process.
PACKAGING OPTIONS
T
raditionally, ACP packed pellet baits for
aerial operations into 25kg multiwall paper
bags which have been used to contain the vast
majority of pellet baits supplied over the last 35
years, although 25kg woven polypropylene bags
were used to pack RS5 baits from Waimate for
many years. The woven polypropylene bags
were dropped because they were expensive,
caused the product to sweat under certain storage arrangements, cannot legally be burned, are
ACP’s PRESSURE BOILER PRODUCES STEAM AT OVER 170 DEGREES CELSIUS
not environmentally friendly and require label
directions to be printed on both sides due to
print registration issues.
For the last 5 years ACP has been packing the
majority of its aerial bait into HSNO compliant
bulk bags, approved by ACVM and ranging from
250kg to 650kg in 50kg increments.
The bulk bags are placed on 1100mm square
pallets for transport, with bags up to 400kg being double stacked and shrink wrapped. 1 tonne
pallets by comparison, are 1600mm long and
1100mm wide.
ANIMAL CONTROL PRODUCTS: SPECIAL EDITION INDUSTRY UPDATE SEPTEMBER 2013
PAGE 4
CAPACITY TO MEET SEASONAL SPIKES IN DEMAND
W
ith three purpose-built pelletising
plants, capable of producing over 20
tonnes per day of finished product, ACP has
enough capacity to deliver freshly made nontoxic and toxic bait on time every time - as long
as reasonable notice of order requirements is
given by customers.
Eighteen years ago, ACP manufactured all of its
pellets using two relatively low output pelletisers - a worm press extruder with die-plate
pelletiser called “A Plant” at Wanganui and a
small radial holed ring-press pelletiser at Waimate. These two machines coped well with the
demand for cereal pellet bait for possums, wallabies and rabbits, but by the mid-1990s, the
Animal Health Board had stepped up its broad
scale Tb vector control programme and DOC
began a cyclic treatment and retreatment regime of key protected areas under a priority
based rating system for natural areas.
The radial ring-die of the B Plant pellet press has capacity to produce 14 tonnes of pellets per
day. Rollers located inside the ring-die press the material outwards through the radial holes.
In 1997, with demand for manufactured cereal
baits growing faster than our capacity to produce them, ACP commissioned a new ringpress pelletiser, the B Plant at its Wanganui
site. With a 14 tonne per day output, this doubled ACP’s manufacturing capacity almost immediately. The steam generation and reticulation system was installed shortly afterwards.
In 2009, after working its way through the new
regulatory framework of consents and approvals, ACP commissioned a second high-output
ring-press pelletiser, C Plant at Wanganui and
ceased production at its Waimate plant.
All major orders of 1080 pellets are manufactured to order on the B plant whereas pre-feed
and anticoagulant baits are usually made on
the C Plant. With two or three months’ notice
for large orders, ACP has plenty of capacity to
manufacture fresh bait on a just in time basis,
throughout the busy autumn - winter season
and off-peak through spring and summer.
The “B Plant” was reconfigured and customised to better suit ACP’s operation a few years after it
was installed. The main mixer and in-feed end of B Plant is behind the partition on the right.
COMMITMENT TO SECURITY MEASURES ESSENTIAL
A
CP works in close cooperation with the Police Special Tactics Group (formerly
the anti-terrorist squad) to ensure that the security of stored toxins such as
1080 meets the standards and expectations of such agencies in terms of safeguarding
national security and protecting public safety while the toxins are under ACP’s care.
Certain extraordinary security measures have been put in place as a result of security
status reviews which are on-going.
ANIMAL CONTROL PRODUCTS: SPECIAL EDITION INDUSTRY UPDATE SEPTEMBER 2013
PAGE 5
QUALITY FOCUS SCREENING OUT DUST & FRAGMENTS
The focal point of ACP’s quality assurance systems and analysis processes is its own full-time
toxicology laboratory equipped with the most
modern, hi-tech analysis and measurement
equipment available anywhere in the world.
Batch samples are tested for hardness, weight,
colour, moisture, and active ingredient content, with samples from all batches also being
retained, recorded and stored in archives.
ACP’s aging gas chromatography analysis
equipment, used for chemical assays since
1997, has recently been replaced. A new, state
-of-the-art liquid chromatography/mass spectrometer apparatus can analyse a wide range
of toxins and bait substrates including pastes,
solid baits, technical grade active ingredients
and even inert ingredients.
H
orizontally mounted oscillating screens,
with a range of mesh sizes and other
features, remove the bait dust and fragments
from processed batches of pellet baits.
In pellet bait samples of 20mm/12 gram RS5
1080 measured recently by TbFree after the
bait had been transported from Wanganui to
Greymouth for the Taipo Operation, there
were no baits smaller than 6 grams and 95%
These screens are quite different from the
of baits were above 8 grams.
rotary drum-style screens which were commonly used for screening the fines or chaff In samples taken from toxic No.7 pellets, nomout of field prepared carrot bait.
inally 20mm/12 gram bait supplied to Greater
Wellington for the Western Tararua operaAs with carrot bait, screening pellets achieves
tion, measurements by the council showed
a tighter range of sizes, eliminating almost all
that 98.9% of the bait was more than 8 grams,
of the small, sub-lethal baits and helping to
91.2% was more than 10 grams and mean
ensure that mean pellet weight lies within
weight was 12.6 grams. There was no appre20% of the target weight.
ciable dust.
In reality however, much better results are
ACP will soon test other recently purchased
being achieved for both No.7 and RS5 thanks
equipment which it is hoped will further reto the recent installation of new equipment,
duce the range of bait sizes and produce more
and refinements within the manufacturing
robust bait with less dust and fragments.
process.
VECTOR CONTROL SERVICES - TAIPO - 12 GRAM RS5 PELLETS
30
27
25
25
PERCENTAGE OF TOTAL SAMPLE
A
CP has not only invested in the most
modern production equipment and processes. A similar investment in the latest quality control and analysis equipment has occurred
to ensure that manufactured products consistently meet established quality standards and
prescribed specifications, most of which were
originally established by ACP itself.
20
n = 240
95% of baits were 8 grams or larger
82% of baits were 10 grams or larger
Average weight 10.85 grams
17
15
10
10
6
5
7
4
2
1
1
0
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
Weight Class (Grams)
13
14
15
GREATER WELLINGTON - WESTERN TARARUA - 12 GRAM No.7 PELLETS
40
37
35
Mass spectrograph and samples for injection
At a reasonable additional cost, batch analysis
can be carried out on request using archived
retained samples from batches not previously
analysed during routine testing. Analysis of
residual toxicity can also be done for either
stored or samples retrieved from the field.
PERCENTAGE OF TOTAL SAMPLE
30
n = 91
99% of baits were 8 grams or larger
92% of baits were 10 grams or larger
Average weight 12.6 grams
25
20
16
16
14
15
10
4
5
1
0
6
5
3
1
0
7
8
9
10
11
12
Weight Class (Grams)
13
14
15
ANIMAL CONTROL PRODUCTS: SPECIAL EDITION INDUSTRY UPDATE SEPTEMBER 2013
PAGE 6
NAVIGATING A WAY THROUGH THE COMPLIANCE MINEFIELD
O
ver a decade ago, a few pest control
operators obtained pre-feed baits from
their local stock-feed producer. These baits,
which were sometimes a cross between a pig
pellet, a sheep nut and a chook pellet with
lure added, were used with variable results.
But this was during an era when good pest
management outcomes were often of secondary importance to the need to manage input
costs well.
As the demand for better quality bait grew,
ACP worked with the industry, investing a
huge amount of time, money and expertise
over the last two decades to produce baits
which specifically meet the industry’s needs
for both toxic and non-toxic baits. This investment has been both constrained and guided
by a new regulatory and compliance environment which has grown and evolved quickly
over the same period.
The regulatory environment surrounding the
manufacture and sale of vertebrate pesticides
is now a compliance minefield.
A pre-requisite to manufacturing and selling
vertebrate toxic agents is the need to obtain
approval from the Environmental Protection
Authority under the regulatory framework for
hazardous substances and seek product registration under the ACVM Act via the Ministry
for Primary Industries.
For new products to be considered for EPA
approval and MPI registration, an enormous
amount of data must be collected and submitted about the particular formulation to be
registered, together with details of the active
ingredient, the product use pattern, nontarget effects, efficacy, stability, environmental safety, target animal welfare risks and other risk pathways including residues and potential risks to international trade.
The cost of collecting data at the level of detail
and on the scale required, which may involve
replicated pen trials and a succession of field
trials, can run to many hundreds of thousands
or even millions of dollars.
Within a market as small as New Zealand,
these costs can take many years for registrants to re-coup, making the process of developing and registering any new pesticide
one which is fraught with huge financial risks.
Once products are registered, a barrage of onsite and off-site compliance requirements under an array of legislation adds further complexity and cost to maintaining registrations,
manufacturing, packaging, distributing and
marketing saleable products.
“The process of developing
and registering any new
pesticide is fraught with
huge financial risks….”
On top of that are consents required to be
obtained and maintained under the Resource
Management Act for the site location, activities conducted and various matters such as
the management of open space, structures,
noise, air quality and waste disposal. The loading and transportation of finished goods are
covered by transport regulations and OSH
provisions are always front of mind. Competent, trained and experienced staff are ACP’s
greatest asset.
With the next compliance audit from Labour
Department, MPI, Health, local or regional
government always “just around the corner”,
staying compliant requires a lot of attention
and effort which is both expensive and time
consuming. Manufacturing vertebrate pesticides is now a very specialised and rigorously
controlled business. Not just any stock feed
manufacturer can do it !
Product registrations remain the cornerstone
of ACP’s business. ACP currently holds registrations and EPA approvals for 30 trade name
products including 14 solid baits, 10 paste or
Every step in the process from the importation gel baits, 3 whole grain baits and 3 active conof active ingredients to the dispatch of fin- centrates or technical grade powders.
ished consignments to the client is covered by
specific compliance requirements established The company’s two highest volume products
are the two 1080 pellet formulations; the RS5
under acts and regulations.
and No.7. The RS5 was first registered as a
The HSNO Act and regulations control imporrabbit bait and was designed for use over
tation approvals for hazardous substances, South Island sheep runs with low rainfall. As a
storage conditions, site certificates, manufac- 10mm/2 gram rabbit pellet, it would disinteturing approvals, controlled substances au- grate quite quickly in a good shower of rain.
thorisations, packaging types and approvals, The RS5 was subsequently adapted and regislabel content requirements, site signage re- tered for possum control with a label claim for
quirements, emergency planning, approved rodents being added later.
handler qualifications and track and trace.
The No.7 pellet was purpose-designed as a
possum bait for use in high rainfall North Island and West Coast forests. Although a separate registration for rodents was obtained
over 20 years ago, the valuable by-kill of rodents from aerial possum control operations
prompted submissions which allowed rats to
be added to the possum bait label.
“Staying compliant
requires a lot of attention
and effort which is both
expensive and time
consuming….”
The ACVM Act covers product registration
requirements and conditions, manufacturing
methods, label content approvals, renewals,
manufacturing site approvals, quality assurance standards and product recall provisions.
Many thousands of tonnes of these pellets
have been used across many millions of hectares of remote and rural New Zealand during
the last 5 decades. Decades of research on
these two products points to them being the
longest and most widely researched vertebrate pesticides of all time.
ANIMAL CONTROL PRODUCTS: SPECIAL EDITION INDUSTRY UPDATE SEPTEMBER 2013
PAGE 7
SEARCHING FOR THE OPTIMUM BAIT SIZE AND TOXICITY
Smaller baits may be more
14
easily consumed by birds for
Survived
example and small fragments
12
Dead
ingested by non-target anis 10
m
u
mals would be more likely to
ss 8
o
p
have a lethal effect in a more
f
o 6
.
o
toxic bait. Increasing the toxN
4
icity of baits would also go
2
against the trend of using
0
less toxin rather than more,
0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23
at a time when we are using
mg of 1080 ingested per kg of body weight
90% less 1080 active per hectare than we were a few dec- When the 120 possums were presented with 12 gram 0.15% 1080
baits and the option of non-toxic food, the resulting mortality data
ades ago.
Numbers of possums
T
he ideal 1080 possum pellet contains
enough toxin to provide a lethal dose to
the largest possum, thereby minimising the
risk of sub-lethal poisoning and learned bait
aversion. But it should not carry any more
toxin than is necessary; recognising the need
to minimise any non-target, environmental
and residue risks.
Baits currently used for most aerial possum
control operations are a product from five
decades of effort and evolution involving experimentation, adaptation, improvement,
affirmation and the final realisation that we
appear to have got a bait and delivery system
pointed to an LD100 of 4mg/kg. A distinct peak occurred in the 5mg/
that works! This is borne out by the success of In a study carried out by kg to 7mg/kg range, indicating that the 0.15% 1080 loading and 12
operations using what has become established Landcare Research working gram pellets are reasonably well matched.
in the industry as best practice.
under contract to ACP, 120
lets have on improving swath widths when
possums were exposed to 0.15% 1080 pellets
Not too long ago, some operators used baits
aerial baiting. With 50% wider swath widths,
as well as alternative non-toxic foods. Toxic
containing 0.06%, 0.08% and 0.1% 1080 for
bait sowing times are reduced, saving thoubait consumption and mortality data were
possum control but the loading of 0.15% 1080
sands of dollars in flying costs. Another benerecorded for each possum and these data
has now been universally adopted.
fit is the small surface area of large baits relashowed that only at 4mg of 1080 active per
Although science told us some years ago that kilogram of body weight did possums receive a tive to their mass, which makes the larger
baits more weather resistant.
some possums could detect and therefore guaranteed lethal dose.
avoid baits containing 1080 concentrations at
The table below shows actual data where the
In the group of 120 possums tested, 15% of
or above 0.15%, science and experience sug120 possums were fed ad lib toxic 0.15% 1080
the animals were large enough that they pogests that cinnamon lure at 0.3% helps contentially could have survived eating a single pellets and a choice of apples or staple diet
ceal the presence of the toxin from possums.
pellet of less than 10 grams. With the im- pellets. The number of possums consuming
Years of improved operational results show us
proved habitat condition and better nutrition pellets and receiving 1080 doses at various
that this toxin/lure concentration is a successfor possums that comes with sustained forest levels is shown under the “Actual 0.15%” colful combination, with no evidence that 1080 is
protection through frequent control opera- umn. Nine possums refused bait and there
being detected and thus avoided by possums.
tions, it is inevitable that possum live weights were a further 10 possums which survived
Reducing the concentration of toxin below in the 4 kilogram plus range will become more doses below the LD100 level of 4mg/kg. No
0.15% would almost certainly result in sub- common. This means that individual baits of possums consumed more than 6 lethal doses
lethal poisoning, causing operational failures between 10 and 12 grams and containing in the 0.15% study but had the baits been
and giving rise to learned bait aversion. While 0.15% 1080 will be required to deliver a lethal 0.2% 1080, based on the quantity of bait consumed and assuming that a higher toxic loadincreasing the concentration of toxin in baits dose to these furry monsters!
ing would not have affected bait uptake, the
may allow smaller baits to be used, this would
The supplementary benefits of using 12gram chart shows that 14 possums would have eatpotentially increase the risk to non-targets.
pellets include the effect that the larger pel- en more than 6 lethal doses while the number
1080 Ingested
Actual 0.15%
Extrapolated 0.2% Extrapolated 0.08% of survivors would have been reduced by only
Survivors
18 (9 refusers)
15
30
three.
<4mg/kg&died
4-8mg/kg
8-12mg/kg
12-16mg/kg
16-20mg/kg
20-24mg/kg
24-28mg/kg
28-32mg/kg
32-36mg/kg
15
36
16
15
14
6
0
0
0
14
26
17
13
11
10
10
2
2
37
29
22
2
0
0
0
0
0
Based solely on the amount of bait eaten,
there would have been 30 survivors had the
bait been 0.08% 1080 but no possum would
have consumed more than 4 lethal doses.
This illustrates the see-saw relationship which
exists between minimising bait toxicity for
environmental and non-target reasons, compared with using baits which are as efficacious
and humane as possible.
ANIMAL CONTROL PRODUCTS: SPECIAL EDITION INDUSTRY UPDATE SEPTEMBER 2013
PAGE 8
ATTRACTING THE PEST & DETERRING THE REST
T
he use of repellents or deterrents aimed
at stopping animals from eating plants
and other objects is nothing new. In many
countries, the outer insulation of electrical
wiring is impregnated with compounds to
stop rodents chewing it; seeds are routinely
coated with compounds to camouflage them
or prevent uptake by birds and rodents.
Modifying a bait so that it is palatable to target animals, but unpalatable to certain nontarget animals whose diet is not entirely
different from that of the target animals, is
quite a big ask. Finding a compound which
remains stable and effective over the often
prolonged period of storage following manufacture, is an even bigger ask.
In the United States, compounds containing
thiram, denatonium benzoate (bitrex) and
capsicums are used to protect ornamentals
and vegetable gardens from the ravages of
hungry deer - especially during droughts or
over the bleak winter months.
Over ten years ago, work on the first deer
repellent product for application to baits was
initiated by the innovative company Epro Ltd
of Taupo. Initial trials focused on carrot bait
and following a succession of trials, the option of applying deer repellent to carrot bait
was achieved by way of a label addition apNotwithstanding the fact that starving deer
proved under ACP’s 1080 Solution registrawill eat almost any plant, these compounds
tion.
more or less work and give some relief from
damage for as long as the compound is regu- Subsequent development and a significant
larly re-applied.
number of trials funded by Epro and the Animal Health board saw a similar product later
The development of a compound designed to
approved by ERMA and Food Safety (now
reduce the uptake by deer of 1080 baits inEPA and MPI) for surface application to ACP’s
tended for possums and rodents has made
pellet baits. This approval too was given by
the use of 1080 baits possible in some areas
way of a variation to the label for the two
where deer were seen to be otherwise at risk
pellets under ACP’s registration.
of ingesting 1080 baits and where this risk
was considered unacceptable by local land- The treatment of bait with deer repellent is a
owners or stakeholders.
service offered by Epro who apply their product to the surface of cereal pellets which are
The 1080 possum baits currently used for
then re-packed once the coating has dried.
aerial application were designed to be very
palatable to possums so that they eat suffi- The Epro deer repellent is the result of a subcient bait in the reasonably short time before stantial investment over many years to prothe onset of poisoning symptoms arrests duce a product which appears to be both
their desire to eat. The fact that the baits are efficacious and stable.
sometimes eaten by other introduced aniMore recently, DOC in conjunction with the
mals such as deer, is well documented.
Kea Conservation Trust, Landcare Research
Animal Control Products Ltd
Important Contact Information
Office Phone (Whanganui)
Office free phone
Office Fax
Bill Simmons Mobile
Web Site :
E-mail orders:
Safety Data Sheets:
and Animal Health Board (now Tbfree) have
been working together on pen and field trials
using ACP cereal baits containing one or two
repellents which might prevent ingestion of
1080 baits by kea.
In the first field study, a significant area in
the Otira and Taipo catchments north-west
of Arthur’s Pass was treated with ACP’s cereal baits containing a single repellent placed in
the bait substrate before being formed into
baits. Kea were closely monitored by DOC
before and after the operation. Unfortunately, five of the monitored kea died from consuming 1080. Work is underway to increase
the amount of repellent in the baits. A field
trial comparing possum and rat results between blocks using standard baits, single
repellent baits, and repellent baits involving
both repellents is planned for November.
If trials with the compounds ultimately prove
to be successful, a new product registration
may be sought for 1080 pellets with kea repellent compounds to be used in areas
where kea are considered to be at risk.
The kea repellent work continues and as with
the Epro deer repellent, it may be some
years before a new compound and bait combination receives MPI registration approval.
PRICES HELD INTO 2014
06 344 5302
0800 22 44 23
06 344 2260
0274 798 318
http://www.pestoff.co.nz
[email protected]
http://www.pestoff.co.nz
ACP is pleased to advise customers that it intends holding its
current prices into 2014.
CUSTOMER SURVEY DUE
The annual ACP customer feed-back survey
will be sent out with this newsletter and
separately as required. All customers who
return a correctly completed survey form
will go into a draw for a $250 cash prize.
ACP welcomes and values all customer
feed-back.