A parliamentary question investigates the Department of Conservation and Land Management's (now DBCA) practices regarding pesticide use in fertiliser pellets for Tasmanian blue gum plantations in 2002. The answer denies the use of pesticides in fertiliser pellets and any knowledge of combining organo-chlorides and organo-phosphates.

AnsweredQoN 2507Legislative Assembly
Asked
2 March 2004
Portfolio
Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries

QuestionView source ↗

(1) Was it normal practice, in mid-2002, for the Department of Conservation and Land Management to require that fertiliser pellets used by contractors or the Department’s own employees, as part of the establishment of Tasmanian blue gum plantations, to also include pesticides such as organo-phosphates and organo-chlorides?
(2) If yes, what pesticides and at what concentrations would have been required or recommended by the Department for use in this manner?
(3) If yes, what would have been the purpose of including pesticides within fertiliser pellets for plantation establishment?
(4) If yes, would the Department have insisted under duty of care requirements that all employees, including those of contractors, be required to wear gloves or otherwise take appropriate precautions against ingesting pesticides or other components of the fertiliser pellets?
(5) If no, would there have been any requirement on the part of contractors employed by the Department to use fertiliser pellets that did not contain pesticides?
(6) Is the Department of Conservation and Land Management aware of both organo-phosphate and organo-chloride pesticides being used together in the same fertiliser pellets?
(7) If yes, is the Minister aware of claims that these two types of pesticides, when used together, interfere with each other such that their metabolic action on target insects is lessened?
(8) If yes, for what reason would the Department have required or allowed the combined use of these two types of pesticides when their insect toxicity and hence overall effectiveness would have been reduced?

AnswerView source ↗

Answered
31 March 2004
Responded by
Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister for Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries
Response time
29 days
(2) Not applicable. (3) Not applicable. (4) Fertiliser tablets do not contain pesticides. (5) Yes. Fertiliser pellets used by contractors employed by the Department of Conservation and Land Management did not contain pesticides. (6) The Forest Products Commission is not aware of any instances where organo-chloride and organo-phosphate pesticides are used together, nor does it recommend such a mixture. (7) Not applicable. (8) Not applicable.
(3) Not applicable. (4) Fertiliser tablets do not contain pesticides. (5) Yes. Fertiliser pellets used by contractors employed by the Department of Conservation and Land Management did not contain pesticides. (6) The Forest Products Commission is not aware of any instances where organo-chloride and organo-phosphate pesticides are used together, nor does it recommend such a mixture. (7) Not applicable. (8) Not applicable.
(4) Fertiliser tablets do not contain pesticides. (5) Yes. Fertiliser pellets used by contractors employed by the Department of Conservation and Land Management did not contain pesticides. (6) The Forest Products Commission is not aware of any instances where organo-chloride and organo-phosphate pesticides are used together, nor does it recommend such a mixture. (7) Not applicable. (8) Not applicable.
(5) Yes. Fertiliser pellets used by contractors employed by the Department of Conservation and Land Management did not contain pesticides. (6) The Forest Products Commission is not aware of any instances where organo-chloride and organo-phosphate pesticides are used together, nor does it recommend such a mixture. (7) Not applicable. (8) Not applicable.
(6) The Forest Products Commission is not aware of any instances where organo-chloride and organo-phosphate pesticides are used together, nor does it recommend such a mixture. (7) Not applicable. (8) Not applicable.
(7) Not applicable. (8) Not applicable.
(8) Not applicable.

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