A toxic issue for Tauranga
Changes to methyl bromide use not enough, say critics
New Zealand’s Environment Protection Authority has banned the use of methyl bromide on ships because the human health risks are too high. However, it is defending not banning the toxic substance completely, prompting a response from Bay councillors and environmental and advocates.
Last month, the authority announced greater restrictions on the gas, including banning fumigation aboard ships in New Zealand from January 1, 2023.
The Port of Tauranga has already stopped ship-hold methyl bromide fumigation but the gas is still used to fumigate log stacks at the port.
Fumigation removes harmful micro-organisms by filling an area with gaseous pesticides — or fumigants — to suffocate or poison pests within. Methyl bromide is a a colourless, odourless, toxic, nonflammable gas. Trading nations such as India and China require it to be used on New Zealand logs.
In the Bay of Plenty, methyl bromide is used primarily for quarantine or pre-shipment applications and the fumigator needs resource consent.
Fumigation of logs for export accounts for about 95 per cent of methyl bromide use in New Zealand. In the year to June 2020, 154 tonnes was used at the Port of Tauranga, although continued use is expected to decrease.
In a Bay of Plenty Regional Council Monitoring and Operation Committee meeting on Tuesday, compliance manager Stephen Mellor told councillors staff were ready to monitor the new rules.
A deadline for New Zealand operators to recapture fumigation emissions, set in 2010, was expected to expire in October 2020 but pressure from the industry delayed this until last month when authorities announced gradual increases to the recapture rates.
Council chairman Doug Leeder said Tauranga was one of the main centres in New Zealand that used methyl bromide.
Councillor Paula Thompson said although there appeared to be positive progress, “this will be an issue that will face the city of Tauranga and us as a major risk for some time”.
Councillor Matemoana Mcdonald said she was not satisfied enough traction had been made on the issue, raised by residents at Whareroa Marae and community group Clear the Air Mount Maunganui.
Clear the Air’s Emma Jones told the Bay of Plenty Times although the decision was progress it had been a long time coming.
“I would have liked the industry to be much more proactive during the 10 years that they had. Some companies invested in debarking technology and worked hard to that deadline. Others didn’t do much at all.
Jones said other new rules meant she could “see the days of methyl bromide use at the Port of Tauranga numbered”, which was a “good thing”.
A Port of Tauranga spokeswoman said after consultation with stakeholders, the port would insist recapture technology was applied to all methyl bromide fumigations on log stacks from January 1. This exceeded current requirements.
“Recapture technology is currently applied to around 80 to 85 per cent of log stack fumigations.”
Dr Chris Hill, general manager of the authority’s hazardous substances group said regulating such substances required careful balance between environmental, health, economic and cultural factors. He said the rule change was “significant”. “The risks to human health and the environment outweigh the benefits.” The authority also brought in stepped increases regarding recapture rates from containers and covered log stacks, higher scrutiny of reports, larger buffer zones and greater community notification of fumigation.