Thank you for contacting us. Your reference for this matter is
REF190336089.

We will respond to you within two working days.

If you have any questions, or want to provide an update please call
[1]0800 800 401 and provide your reference number.

Please note that our office hours are Monday to Friday 8am to 5pm.

If life or property is at risk, please call [2]111.

Your submitted request:

Dear Waikato Regional Council, What types of cereals or blends of cereals
are used in prefeed and in poison baits used by the Regional Council
and/or its contractors in its pest management programmes? What is the
country of origin of these cereals in the baits used by the WRC or their
contracters? Please describe the routine testing control regime to
determine the quality of cereal used in prefeed and/or in poison baits
that you use? Which authority do you go to for any tests or quality
control of cereal used in pre-feed and/or 1080 or brodifacoum poison
baits? How does the Waikato Regional Council ensure that the cereal
components in the toxic baits used by the Council or contractors do not
contain spores or other biosecurity risks ? What peer reviewed research or
other information does the Waikato Regional Council rely on for the
scientific assessment of toxic bait cereals and their potential
contamination with fungal spores, including aflatoxins and phytophthera?
Please give results of any cereal testing programmes carried out on the
toxic baits used by the Council or your pest control contractors over the
last 3 years, the methodology used and the organisation carrying out the
tests. Yours faithfully, Stephanie McKee

Thank you

Waikato Regional Council

References

Visible links
1. file:///tmp/tel:0800800401
2. file:///tmp/tel:111

Good Morning Stephanie

Thank you for your query, however Waikato Regional Council does not hold
the information that you have requested and are unable to assist you with
this query.

Kind Regards
Amanda

Information Request - Info  
[1]WAIKATO REGIONAL COUNCIL | Te Kaunihera ā Rohe o Waikato
[2]Take a look at the work we do
P: 0800 800 401
F: [3]facebook.com/waikatoregion
Private Bag 3038, Waikato Mail Centre, Hamilton 3240, New Zealand

-----Original Message-----
From: S C McKee [mailto:[FOI #9955 email]]
Sent: Friday, 29 March 2019 4:01 PM
To: Information Request - Info <[email address]>
Subject: Official Information request - Testing regime for cereal used in
toxic baits

Dear Waikato Regional Council,
From: S C McKee

March 29, 2019

Dear Waikato Regional Council,
What types of cereals or blends of cereals are used in prefeed and in
poison baits used by the Regional Council  and/or its contractors in its
pest management programmes?

What is the country of origin of these cereals in the baits used by the
WRC or their contracters?

Please describe the routine testing control regime to determine the
quality of cereal used in prefeed and/or in poison baits that you use?

Which authority do you go to for any tests or quality control of cereal
used in pre-feed and/or 1080 or brodifacoum poison baits?

How does the Waikato Regional Council ensure that the cereal components in
the toxic baits used by the Council or contractors  do not contain spores
or other biosecurity risks ?

What peer reviewed research or other information does the Waikato Regional
Council rely on for the scientific assessment of toxic bait cereals and
their potential contamination with fungal spores, including aflatoxins and
phytophthera?

Please give results of any cereal testing programmes carried out  on the
toxic baits used by the Council or your pest control contractors over the
last 3 years, the methodology used and the organisation carrying out the
tests.

Yours faithfully,
Stephanie McKee

-------------------------------------------------------------------

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[FOI #9955 email]

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Waikato Regional Council? If so, please contact us using this form:
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References

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1. https://waikatoregion.govt.nz/
2. https://www.waikatoregion.govt.nz/commun...
3. file:///tmp/facebook.com/waikatoregion

hide quoted sections

Thank you for contacting us. Your reference for this matter is
REF190401004.

We will respond to you within two working days.

If you have any questions, or want to provide an update please call
[1]0800 800 401 and provide your reference number.

Please note that our office hours are Monday to Friday 8am to 5pm.

If life or property is at risk, please call [2]111.

Your submitted request:

Dear Waikato Regional Council, How does the Waikato Regional Council
ensure that the cereal components in the toxic baits used by the Council
or contractors do not contain spores or other biosecurity risks ? Yours
faithfully, S C McKee

Thank you

Waikato Regional Council

References

Visible links
1. file:///tmp/tel:0800800401
2. file:///tmp/tel:111

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Good Afternoon S C McKee

We note that we did respond to your request yesterday via email please
refer to that response in regards to this query also.

Kind Regards

Information Request - Info  
[1]WAIKATO REGIONAL COUNCIL | Te Kaunihera ā Rohe o Waikato
[2]Take a look at the work we do
P: 0800 800 401
F: [3]facebook.com/waikatoregion
Private Bag 3038, Waikato Mail Centre, Hamilton 3240, New Zealand

-----Original Message-----
From: S C McKee [mailto:[FOI #9955 email]]
Sent: Monday, 1 April 2019 9:38 PM
To: Information Request - Info <[email address]>
Subject: Re: Official Information request - Testing regime for cereal used
in toxic baits

Dear Waikato Regional Council,

How does the Waikato Regional Council ensure that the cereal components in
the toxic baits used by the Council or contractors do not contain spores
or other biosecurity risks ?

Yours faithfully,

S C McKee

-------------------------------------------------------------------
Please use this email address for all replies to this request:
[FOI #9955 email]

Disclaimer: This message and any reply that you make will be published on
the internet. Our privacy and copyright policies:
https://fyi.org.nz/help/officers

If you find this service useful as an Official Information officer, please
ask your web manager to link to us from your organisation's OIA or LGOIMA
page.

-------------------------------------------------------------------

**********************************************************************
This email message and any attached files may contain confidential information, and may be subject to legal professional privilege. If you have received this message in error, please notify us immediately and destroy the original message. Any views expressed in this message are those of the individual sender and may not necessarily reflect the views of Waikato Regional Council. Waikato Regional Council makes reasonable efforts to ensure that its email has been scanned and is free of viruses, however can make no warranty that this email or any attachments to it are free from viruses.
**********************************************************************

References

Visible links
1. https://waikatoregion.govt.nz/
2. https://www.waikatoregion.govt.nz/commun...
3. file:///tmp/facebook.com/waikatoregion

hide quoted sections

Thank you for contacting us. Your reference for this matter is
REF190404574.

We will respond to you within two working days.

If you have any questions, or want to provide an update please call
[1]0800 800 401 and provide your reference number.

Please note that our office hours are Monday to Friday 8am to 5pm.

If life or property is at risk, please call [2]111.

Your submitted request:

Dear Information Request - Info, Thank you for your reply. Yes I re - sent
one question, thinking maybe you missed seeing it. Are you confirming that
you have answered the following question: How does the Waikato Regional
Council ensure that the cereal components in the toxic baits used by the
Council or contractors do not contain spores or other biosecurity risks ?
Are you confirming by saying "that you have no information" on that
question, that the WRC has no method to ensure that the cereals do not
contain spores or other biosecurity risks? As you will be aware, the
Hazardous Substances and New Organisms Act 1996, Section 7, states;
Precautionary approach All persons exercising functions, powers, and
duties under this Act including, but not limited to, functions, powers,
and duties under sections 28A, 29, 32, 38, 45, and 48, shall take into
account the need for caution in managing adverse effects where there is
scientific and technical uncertainty about those effects. If there is no
testing of the cereal in the VTAs to ensure they are free of toxic fungi
and any specie of Phytophthera for example, then it would appear that
Section 7 of the HSNO Act is being breached. My question is not frivoulous
or vexatious, but a serious question which I would appreciate you
answering, under the IOA. Yours sincerely, S C McKee

Thank you

Waikato Regional Council

References

Visible links
1. file:///tmp/tel:0800800401
2. file:///tmp/tel:111

Dear Stephanie,

All the VTA products used by our contractors are supplied by manufacturers
approved under the Agricultural and Veterinary Medicines (ACVM) Act 1997.

As part of the ACVM approval process the manufacturer must have been Good
Manufacturing Practice (GMP) approved. GMP is that part of a quality
assurance which ensures that products are consistently produced and
controlled to the quality standards appropriate to their intended use and
as required by the manufacturing authorisation. As part of the GMP process
the manufacturer must show they have processes in place that ensure
consistently high quality ingredients are used and production operations
follow clearly defined procedures. Additionally, samples from each batch
produced must be held for later testing where there may be concerns about
the product’s quality. The Ministry for Primary Industries audits approved
manufacturers regularly to ensure they continue to meet the GMP approval
conditions.

Additionally as part of every application to register a VTA, the
registrant must provide evidence that any ingredients of biological origin
must be covered by an import health standard, or undergo a biosecurity
risk assessment.

If you have any further questions, please direct these to the VTA
manufacturers.

Regards,

Waikato Regional Council

Information Request - Info  
[1]WAIKATO REGIONAL COUNCIL | Te Kaunihera ā Rohe o Waikato
[2]Take a look at the work we do
P: 0800 800 401
F: [3]facebook.com/waikatoregion
Private Bag 3038, Waikato Mail Centre, Hamilton 3240, New Zealand

-----Original Message-----
From: S C McKee [mailto:[FOI #9955 email]]
Sent: Wednesday, 3 April 2019 2:57 PM
To: Information Request - Info <[email address]>
Subject: RE: Official Information request - Testing regime for cereal used
in toxic baits

Dear Information Request - Info,
Thank you for your reply.
Yes I re - sent one question, thinking maybe you missed seeing it.
Are you confirming that you have answered the following question:
                           How does the Waikato Regional Council
                           ensure that the cereal components in the toxic
baits used by the Council
                           or contractors do not contain spores or other
biosecurity risks ?

Are you confirming by saying "that you have no information" on that
question, that the WRC has no method to ensure that the cereals do not
contain spores or other biosecurity risks?

As you will be aware, the Hazardous Substances and New Organisms Act 1996,
Section 7, states; Precautionary approach All persons exercising
functions, powers, and duties under this Act including, but not limited
to, functions, powers, and duties under sections 28A, 29, 32, 38, 45, and
48, shall take into account the need for caution in managing adverse
effects where there is scientific and technical uncertainty about those
effects.

If there is no testing of the cereal in the VTAs to ensure they are free
of toxic fungi and any specie of Phytophthera for example, then it would
appear that Section 7 of the HSNO Act is being breached.

My question is not frivoulous or vexatious, but a serious question which I
would appreciate you answering, under the IOA.

Yours sincerely,
S C McKee

-----Original Message-----

Good Afternoon S C McKee

We note that we did respond to your request yesterday via email please
 refer to that response in regards to this query also.

Kind Regards

Information Request - Info
[1]WAIKATO REGIONAL COUNCIL | Te Kaunihera ā Rohe o Waikato  [2]Take a
look at the work we do
P: 0800 800 401
F: [3]facebook.com/waikatoregion
Private Bag 3038, Waikato Mail Centre, Hamilton 3240, New Zealand

-------------------------------------------------------------------
Please use this email address for all replies to this request:
[FOI #9955 email]

Disclaimer: This message and any reply that you make will be published on
the internet. Our privacy and copyright policies:
https://fyi.org.nz/help/officers

If you find this service useful as an Official Information officer, please
ask your web manager to link to us from your organisation's OIA or LGOIMA
page.

-------------------------------------------------------------------

**********************************************************************
This email message and any attached files may contain confidential information, and may be subject to legal professional privilege. If you have received this message in error, please notify us immediately and destroy the original message. Any views expressed in this message are those of the individual sender and may not necessarily reflect the views of Waikato Regional Council. Waikato Regional Council makes reasonable efforts to ensure that its email has been scanned and is free of viruses, however can make no warranty that this email or any attachments to it are free from viruses.
**********************************************************************

References

Visible links
1. https://waikatoregion.govt.nz/
2. https://www.waikatoregion.govt.nz/commun...
3. file:///tmp/facebook.com/waikatoregion

hide quoted sections