Hanmer Basin Bovine TB Operation
23 October 2008
MEDIA STATEMENT
Hanmer Basin
Bovine TB Operation
The third annual possum control season in the Hanmer Basin is underway.
The operation covers 12,000 ha of the Hanmer Basin including all the farmland and both the Hanmer and Waiau River’s riparian margins.
There will be no control work within half a kilometre of Hanmer township.
The control and monitoring work for this stage will be completed by December.
A second phase of the operation covering the Hanmer Heritage Forest Park, Rogerson Forest and Mt Isobel Conservation Park will be controlled for possums in April-June 2009 to avoid the holiday season.
The farmland will be controlled with ground control methods that involve traps or toxins being laid in bait stations. All control work is carried out under Ministry of Health, Department of Conservation and Environment Canterbury (ECan) regulations.
In last year’s control operation 1525 possums and 15 ferrets were destroyed.
Environment Canterbury (ECan) implements and manages possum and ferret control programmes for the control of Bovine Tuberculosis across the Canterbury region on behalf of the Animal Health Board.
Deane Shute Contracting is undertaking the Hanmer control programme.
ends