20 E 0005 Departmental OIA response.pdf

20-E-0005 / DOC 6193694
28 January 2020
T Benseman
Via FYI.org.nz
Dear Mr Benseman
We refer to the Official Information Act request you submitted to the Department of
Conservation on 23 December 2019 via the FYI website.
Before  responding  to  your  request,  we  set  out  the  following  contextual  information
that is relevant to the issues you have raised.
1080 is biodegradable
1080  bait  is  biodegradable  and  does  not  accumulate  in  the  food  chain.  1080  in
uneaten  bait  pellets  and  animal  carcasses  are  broken  down  by  certain  species  of
bacteria  and  fungi  which  have  the  ability  to  degrade  sodium  fluoroacetate  by  the
process of ‘defluorination’.
Defluorination
Defluorination is a chemical reaction which releases the fluoride from fluoroacetate
to form non-toxic products like glycolate. Defluorination is the primary mechanism
through  which  sodium  fluoroacetate  is  detoxified/degraded  in  the  environment
following 1080 bait application.
A  range  of  microorganisms  have  been  isolated  from  the  New  Zealand  soil
environment  and  shown  to  biodegrade  1080,  including  bacteria  (Pseudomonas  sp.,
Bacillus subtilis, Lactobacillus spp., Staphylococcus aureus) and fungi (Penicillium,
Aspergillus,  Fusarium  and  Mucor  species).1  Under  favourable  conditions,  1080  in
baits may be defluorinated within 1-2 weeks.2
After  biodegradation  has  taken  place,  all  that  remains  in  the  soil  are  natural
compounds  and  minerals  such  as  glycolate,  fluoride  and  carbon  that  are  normally
found in the environment. These metabolites are non-toxic, and are unlikely to cause
harm to plants or animals.
1 CL Bong (1979) “Biodegradation of sodium monofluoroacetate (compound 1080)”, PhD Thesis,
University of Canterbury, New Zealand and JRL Walker (1993) “Degradation of sodium
monofluoroacetate by soil micro-organisms”, Proceedings of the Science Workshop on 1080,
Christchurch, New Zealand pp 50-53.
2 C Eason et al (2011) “An updated review of the toxicology and ecotoxicology of sodium fluoroacetate
(1080) in relation to its use as a pest control tool in New Zealand”, New Zealand Journal of Ecology
35(1): 1-20.
Conservation House - Whare Kaupapa Atawhai
PO Box 10 420, Wellington 6143
Telephone (04) 471 0726, Fax (04) 381 3057

Effect on bacteria

Field  and  laboratory  studies  have  found  that  healthy  populations  of  some  bacteria
species  continue  to  increase  when  1080  is  present.  Researchers  have  examined  the
effects of 1080 in soil and concluded that any 1080 residue that reaches the soil will
therefore be destroyed within a few weeks.3

1080 in streams, rivers and lakes

Over 60 years of evidence has shown that 1080 does not accumulate in water, soil or
animals. 1080 is highly soluble and will quickly dissolve and leach out of uneaten bait
pellets that  land  in  water  bodies.  Microorganisms  and  plants  in  the  water  will  then
break down the 1080 into harmless, non-toxic compounds as explained above.

Extensive  scientific  research  has  also  determined  that  there  is  no  evidence  of
significant  or  prolonged  1080  contamination  in  surface  waters.  Between  1990  and
2018,  1,380  water  samples  (taken  from  New  Zealand  drinking  water  supplies,
including streams with water intake points) were tested for 1080. Only five of those
samples disclosed harmless traces of 1080 all of which were well below the Ministry
of Health’s contamination standards for drinking water. The remaining 1,375 samples
showed no detectable trace of 1080.

A helpful summary of various scientific studies on the effects of 1080 on water can be
found in the following published article:

https://newzealandecology.org/nzje/2968.pdf.

1080 degrades in animal carcasses

1080  breaks  down  in  carcasses  of  poisoned  animals.  This  breakdown  may  be
facilitated by microorganisms, degradation of fluoroacetate in the carcass, leaching of
1080 from the carcass into the soil and/or tissue autolysis.4

Scientists  have  studied  the  degradation  of  1080  in  carcasses  of  animals  that  have
succumbed  to  1080  poisoning.  Around  40  –  75  days  after  a  1080  operation  in  the
Wairarapa  region,  scientists  observed  that  carcasses  of  poisoned  possums  were
decomposing. They also observed that the levels of 1080 in the carcass stomachs had
reduced from 30.6mg/kg (25 days after the application of 1080) to 4.9mg/kg (75 days
after the application of 1080).5

Scientists have also observed that levels of 1080 residue found in the muscles of a
sheep carcass declined exponentially 4 hours after exposure to 1080.6 In a separate
study, scientists also observed that the presence of blowfly maggots increased the rate
of loss of 1080.7

3 WAL David and BOC Gardiner (1996) “Persistence of Fluoroacetate and Fluoroacetamide in Soil”,
Nature Vol 209 Issue 5030.
4 C Eason et al (2013) “Secondary poisoning risks from 1080-poisoned carcasses and risk of trophic
transfer - a review”, New Zealand Journal of Zoology Vol 40 Issue 3.
5 See 3, above.
6 CG Rammell (1993) “Persistence of compound 1080 in sheep muscle and liver”, Surveillance Vol 20
Issue 1.
7 See https://www.epa.govt.nz/assets/FileAPI/hsno-ar/HRE05002/9917ed4348/HRE05002-054.pdf.

The consensus of scientific evidence therefore does not suggest that the use  of 1080
could contribute to water pollution in the way you describe.

Your OIA request

We now consider your OIA request.  For ease of reference, we have considered  each
part of your request separately below.

Biodegradability of 1080

We consider that  the information we have set out above answers the questions you
have raised regarding this issue and forms our response to this part of your request.

Concerns regarding water pollution

As explained above, the Department does not believe that the use of 1080 contributes
to water pollution and does not hold any information which suggests otherwise. We
are  therefore  refusing  this  part  of  your  request  under  section  18(e)  of  the  Official
Information Act 1982.

Social licence to use 1080

We  have  taken  this  part  of  your  request  to  mean  that  you  are  seeking  information
regarding a social licence to continue to use 1080 for pest control operations in New
Zealand.

The Department of Conservation commissions the Survey of New Zealanders every
few  years.  The  results  of  the  2019  survey  show  that  a  majority  of  New  Zealanders
support, or conditionally accept, the use of 1080 as a tool for predator control.

The results of the 2019 survey are published on the Department’s website and can be
accessed via the following link: https://www.doc.govt.nz/survey-of-nzers-2019.

You  have  the  right  to  seek  an  investigation  and  review  by  the  Ombudsman  of  this
decision.  Information  about  how  you  can  make  a  complaint  is  available  at
www.ombudsman.parliament.nz or freephone 0800 802 602.

Yours sincerely

Ann Thompson
Acting Director Threats - Biodiversity
for Director-General