DOC Independent Poisoned Cow Investigation – Nothing Independent About It

Clyde Graf – TV Wild

On the 6th of September 2018 the Department of Conservation aerially spread 1080 poison across the Mapara Scenic Reserve. The aerial poisoning operation resulted in the death of 8 cows. The cow's owners say that they were not fully informed about the consequences of the aerial operation, and followed the instructions provided to them by the Department of Conservation.

In response, the Department of Conservation has stated that it is not responsible for the cow deaths and is pinning the blame squarely on the shoulders of the farmers. The cost to the farmers for the poisoned cows is over $10,000.

In a letter to the farmers’ lawyer, Sue Grey, the Deputy Director General, Mervyn English stated "The fact is the cattle entered the area of your clients' property which your clients had formally signed up for inclusion in the pests control operation, through no fault of the Department."

What is concerning about the statement made by the Deputy Director General is that the evidence indicates that the cows were poisoned in the paddock they were found dead in, and that they did not necessarily enter the operational area.

The Deputy Director General also stated "The public must have confidence in our operational expertise." To ensure that the Department gets its way, and regains public confidence, it has selected Waikato Regional Council to undertake its independent review.

However, the relationship between the Department of Conservation and Waikato Regional Council appears to be anything other than independent. For example, the Waikato Regional Council has an MOU with DoC, the two organisations have shared the costs of aerial poisoning operations in the past, and in 2015, TB Free New Zealand, the Department of Conservation, and Waikato Regional Council jointly applied to Waikato Regional Council for a resource consent to enable them to aerially spread 1080 poison across the Waikato Region for another 35 years.

The “independent” Department of Conservation poisoned cow investigation story is presented in this video clip ... https://youtu.be/9EmNIR1iBrk

The Waikato Regional Council’s independent investigation is expected to be released within the next few weeks.

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