Spraying plantations (2)

Jim Harris
I have read recently Alice from Ringarooma’s concerns ( Spraying plantations, here )re Gunns pesticide spraying in her area. She stated that she had been notified spraying would occur, my question to Alice is have Gunns notified what, when and where this activity will occur? This detail is most important to understand extent of pesticide management in the Forest Industry. Amounts, types, mixes and regularity of spraying events by the Plantation Industry is currently the best keep secret in Tasmania. To tackle this problem it is essential to have a credible database to work from. Can Alice and any other reader of the Tassy Times with on ground info re pesticide application within the Plantation Industry contact myself Jim Harris at tecmo@bigpond.com

What Kim Booth, Tim Morris, Dr Alison Bleaney, and Helen Connor-Kendray say …

RINGAROOMA PROTESTS AERIAL SPRAYING AND WATER LOSS
Yet FIAT continues ‘Good Neighbour Charter’ Charade
Kim Booth MP
Greens Shadow Primary Industries spokesperson
Thursday, 27 November 2008
www.tas.greens.org.au

The Tasmanian Greens today supported Ringarooma residents who today called for an immediate ban on the logging of their water catchment which is endangering local water supplies and also for a moratorium on aerial spraying of timber plantations and forests in their water catchment until such time as independent studies are carried out examining the impact of herbicides and pesticides on human and animal health in the area.

Greens Shadow Primary Industries spokesperson Kim Booth MP who toured the area today and spoke to over 30 residents at a meeting in Ringarooma organised by Mr Norm Brown, said that the fact that local residents had to gather and protest at aerial spraying showed that the people were desperate for help, and that the so-called ‘Good Neighbour Charter’ being relaunched today by the Forest Industries Association of Tasmania (FIAT) was a charade and that none of the residents at today’s meeting saw forestry companies as ‘good neighbours’.

“Whilst forestry industry bigwigs gathered in Launceston today to relaunch their sham ‘Good Neighbour Charter’ which is meant to show how they ‘care’ for their rural neighbours, dozens of Ringarooma locals gathered to protest at the toxic reality of plantation expansion which brings with it chemical contamination, loss of water and health scares,” Mr Booth said.

“Ringarooma residents have a right to fresh clean drinking water and to have their health protected from toxic contamination however that right is being denied them by the chemical spraying of plantations and clear felling in this area, close to water supplies and rural homes.”

“The European Union has moved to ban aerial spraying and the use of these toxic poisons and when you look at the long term effects of pesticide exposure such as, cancer, Parkinson’s disease, birth defects and increased miscarriage to name just a few, you can understand why.”

“How ironic that FIAT chose today to launch their hollow ‘Good Neighbour Charter’ whilst yet another rural community protests at toxic aerial spraying of plantations and the disdain with which they are treated by forestry companies.”

“From Mole Creek to Ringarooma calls flood into my office from country people getting sprayed by choppers circling plantations, being told to stay indoors, scared about their water supply and contamination of their water tanks.”

“That’s the reality for people on the ground, not some PR fantasy that forestry companies spin.”

“It is an indictment on the Labor government and the forest industry that they have effectively washed their hands of the responsibility to rural residents’ health on this issue and the only avenue for locals is to gather and protest at the spraying they are being subjected to and the local water supplies that are now at risk.”

“The so called ‘Good Neighbour Charter’ relaunched today by the forest industries deliberately dodged asking for public submissions because they know how real people are being impacted on by the plantation industry and I’m sure they are terrified of actually asking for public comment as they know they’d be buried under a mountain of complaints,” Mr Booth said.

Tim Morris

CHEMICAL TRESPASS LAWS CALL AS LATEST WATER TEST SHOW CHEMICAL CONTAMINATION CONTINUES
As Government Posts Update on Website Without Notification
Tim Morris MP
Greens Shadow Water Spokesperson
Thursday, 27 November 2008
www.tas.greens.org.au

The Tasmanian Greens today exposed the latest release of chemical testing data from state rivers, calling for the immediate enactment of Chemical Trespass laws saying that the latest test results show that contamination is ongoing, yet no information is released identifying the source of the contamination.

Greens Shadow Water spokesperson Tim Morris MP highlighted what he described as “extremely worrying” a set of investigation tests for Atrazine in the Derwent River which found a positive sample at the Clyde River Bridge, despite the Derwent River not being included in the baseline testing, and slammed the Government for completely failing to disclose this result other than putting it up on the website under the cover of darkness obviously hoping that it would not be noticed.

Mr Morris also said the latest round of the Baseline water testing has revealed that the Liffey and Duck Rivers are contaminated with MCPA, the Brid River has Simazine in it, and additionally the updated list shows the extent of contamination and how persistent some of these herbicides are in the follow-up test results.

“Minister David Llewellyn must face up to the fact that the current system regulating chemical use by the agriculture and forestry sectors is an utter failure and in urgent need of change,” Mr Morris said.

“The time has come for the Bartlett government to admit that its regulatory regime is failing to protect our rivers and water supplies and that the only safe course of action is to ban the triazines completely and implement Chemical Trespass laws to make it illegal to allow sprays to leave the target area and enter another persons property or any waterways.”

“So far this year the following rivers have tested positive on one or more occasions for pesticides or herbicides, the Derwent, Duck, Brid, Rubicon, Meander, Coal, Jordan, Liffey, Macquarie and Montague, with 2,4D, Simazine, Fenitrothion, Fluaziop, MCPA and Atrazine being detected.”

“This is unacceptable ongoing chemical contamination of our waterways.”

“Minister Llewellyn appears to be thinking that the purpose of water tests is to prove chemical contamination when in fact the community believes that the testing regime is meant to ensure that once contamination occurs everything is done to ensure that the perpetrator does not allow it to happen again.”

Mr Morris also highlighted as a crucial failing of the current testing regime the failure of the Minister to disclose the source of chemical contamination, or detail the fact that the source has been unable to be identified.

“Now that Water Minister David Llewellyn has started to list the results of the follow up investigations he needs to go to the logical conclusion and instead of just closing the file he needs to disclose the source of the contamination as it would appear that in many cases it is known from where the contamination event originates.”

“Given that Forestry Tasmania no longer uses Triazines because it has less toxic alternatives, their use must be on private land, it is time that these potential carcinogens were completely banned; and in the meantime the source of the ongoing contamination must be publicly released so we can all see who are the people and companies who are failing to prevent the contamination of our waterways,” Mr Morris said.

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Attached:

1. Results from the Baseline Monitoring Program, November 2008:

http://www.dpiw.tas.gov.au/inter.nsf/Attachments/CART-6GEVLA?open

2. SIRU Water Sampling Results, November 2008

http://www.dpiw.tas.gov.au/inter.nsf/Attachments/CART-7CCUU3?open

Dr Alison Bleaney: And here are the test results

Subject: 26-11-08 DPIW – Results of Pesticide Monitoring in Rivers.

http://www.dpiw.tas.gov.au/inter.nsf/WebPages/CART-69STWK?open#MonitoringResults

Pesticide contamination of Tasmania’s rivers has yet again been demonstrated.

All of these pesticides are used by both forestry and agriculture.

It is unacceptable that pesticide contamination is continuing in many of Tasmania’s drinking water catchments with no public detailing of the sources of contamination or actions taken to prevent recurrence. The potential harm to human and environmental health is well documented. The need for our Government regulators to take action and prevent this has been stated many times. It is not acceptable to allow the release of toxic pesticides into water catchments and then turn one’s back on the consequences.

The SIRU results are quite confronting:

since 8/08 – Meander River 4/8 – MCPA,

17/8 – MCPA

Rubicon River 4/8 – 2,4-D and MCPA,

13/8 – 2,4-D and MCPA,

29/8 – 2,4-D and MCPA

Brid River 11/8 – MCPA and fluazifop,

22/8 – simazine and 2,4-D

1/9 – simazine

Derwent River 10/10 – atrazine

Flood results – no results for the George River after 3/8 and yet there was a

significant rain event end of October; where are these results?

Little Swanport has no recorded results after 7/07 and Esperance after 8/07.

Baseline monitoring – Liffey River at Carrick 5/11 – MCPA

Brid River 28/10 – simazine

Duck River 28/10 – MCPA

Letter to the Editor

Dear Editor,

I find it quite amazing and terrifying that we are still using aerial spraying in this State when overseas scientific evidence clearly shows a link between environmental hazards such as insecticides, herbicides, pesticides etc. as being triggers for Parkinson’s disease.

There have been thirteen genes in humans identified as sensitive to Parkinson’s disease with more expected as studies continue.

Over- seas studies clearly link the above hazards to Parkinson’s disease and rare Cancers.

From studies conducted, Tasmania has the highest percentage per head of population, per State/Territory in Australia. In Tasmania the largest number is in the North West of the State. (farming) with four people (now middle aged) from the same class room. The North East Coast has a large pocket plus an above average number in Deloraine.

We find that in discussing the working life of those living with Parkinson’s disease in Tasmania there is an environmental hazard involved in most cases.

Helen Connor-Kendray,

President Parkinson’s Tasmania.