Chris Carter Pleased With New Spraying Times

Te Atatu MP Chris Carter today congratulated MAF for altering its painted apple moth spraying programme to avoid the times children are most likely to be outside.

MAF is to aim to refuel and reload its aircraft conducting the spraying programme during the hours of 8-9am, 12.15 -1pm and 3-4pm, where possible.

Those are the times when most children are on their way to school, outside at lunchtime, and on their way home from school.

"I am delighted to see that MAF has listened to the concerns of local people and school principals," Mr Carter said.

"It is not acceptable for low flying planes to zoom over the heads of young children and dowse them in spray, as occurred recently. I raised this issue with Biosecurity Minister Jim Sutton directly two weeks ago, and MAF has made a genuine effort to come up with a solution to the problem."

Mr Carter said that MAF was warning that there might be occasions, such as weather conditions, when it may not be possible to keep to this new schedule.

"Let us hope there are not too many of these. I would expect that when there are, MAF would do its best to warn schools and the local community of the altered schedule. "

He said that local people needed to understand that MAF was concerned not to undermine the effectiveness of the spray programme.

"The painted apple moth is dangerous to people's health, dangerous to the economy, and dangerous to the environment. This spray programme must work because we certainly don't want to be doing it over again," Mr Carter said.

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