Federated Farmers has launched its own Internet website, which can be accessed on www.fedfarm.org.nz The website was opened last month, and features the submissions the federation is making to Government on behalf of its members, media coverage of rural issues and a bulletin board. Chief executive Tony St Clair said a special feature of the website was a service offering selected information restricted to financial members, via a password. The password is available through provincial offices.

RCD Virus may be exempt from pest law

NZPA(New Zealand Press Association)

Wellington- Ministry of Agriculture officials who have been warning for months that the Pesticides Act would be a problem for regional councils which spread rabbit calicivirus are preparing an application to have the virus registered as a pesticide. But biosecurity officials say the research is more likely to persuade the Pesticides Board to recommend the virus is exempted from the Pesticides Act. In a week's time, government officials plan to discuss with regional councils just what strain of the virus should be exempted, if the Pesticides Board makes such a recommendation. The research supplied to the board will need to specifiy a particular form of the virus, regardless of whether it is registered or exempted.

Possibilities include the "feral" virus illegally smuggled into the country and which South Island farmers have been spreading, a "pure" form developed from that virus, or the "pure" strain the Government already owns in Australian laboratories. Legislation is already before Parliament which would allow that strain to be imported legally.

The "feral" virus is known to be killing large proportations of rabbit populations in the South Island's semi-arid regions. Animal health officials have said either strain works as a biocide, where the virus is spread on bait, but a pure form without viral contaminants would be preferable for injecting and releasing live rabbits.

The Pesticides Board decision will be cucial, because a legal opinion from MAF to the Wellington Regional Council said under the Pesticides Act, regional councils or commercial operators were prevented from spreading the virus while it was not registered as a pesticide. The Act would not apply to an individual farmer acting alone.

North Island regional councils said that if RCD was to be intrduced they wanted it to be a managed release, co-ordination by council staff for maximum impact. But four key councils in Auckland, Wellington, Waikato and Hawke's Bay have given up on that strategy, not because they fear being prosecuted by MAF, but because private prosecutions would be sought by RCD opponents. MAF has known of the problem for months, but no application for registration has yet been recieved by the Pesticides Board, register John Reeve said. The next meeting of the board is scheduled for December 11, and he said the shortest time in which a decision could be made on any application would be one month.