10 February 2012
The Environmental Protection Authority is calling for submissions on an application by Marlborough District Council to allow restricted aerial use of the herbicide Taskforce.
Taskforce was approved in 2010 for the selective ground-based control of two invasive weeds, Chilean needlegrass and Nassella tussock.
Given the uncertainty regarding the ecological effects of the substance, the current approval limits the use of the substance.
Marlborough District Council is seeking a modified reassessment of the approval to allow restricted aerial application, as well as use of the substance in vineyards and to control Kangaroo grass.
The council says infestations of Chilean needlegrass, Nassella tussock and kangaroo grass exist in areas of New Zealand inaccessible to ground-based boom spraying equipment and in vineyards.
Allowing the restricted aerial application of Taskforce and its use in vineyards will reduce the infestations of these invasive weeds, benefitting the pastoral farming industry, it says.
The council is proposing a range of controls to reduce the risks associated with the application of Taskforce from the air and its use in vineyards
Submissions from the public are now being sought. Submissions close on 23 March, 2012.