Step up 1080 use, says report

New Zealand's forest could fall silent unless use of the controversial poison 1080 is stepped up to help save native birds, a new report has found.

The report from Parliamentary Commissioner for the Environment Jan Wright looked into the use of the poison, which kills threats to native wildlife including possums, rats and stoats.

Dr Wright compared 1080 with other pest-control methods on the basis of safety, effectiveness and cost.

She found many of New Zealand's native species would be lost without the use of the poison, and recommended not only that its use continue, but be stepped up.

Dr Wright recommended against a moratorium on its use, which has been proposed in a bill by Maori Party MP Rahui Katene.

The report has won the support of environmental groups but has also drawn strong criticism from opponents, including hunting advocates.

Dr Wright said in researching the issue she was surprised by how effective 1080 was.

"Possums, rats and stoats are chewing up our forests to the point that we are only a generation away from seeing regional extinctions of kiwis and other native species where no pest control is carried out," she said.

"There are other pest control methods that are more suitable than 1080 in certain circumstances but on much of our conservation land there is currently nothing else that will effectively kill possums, rats and stoats."

Dr Wright said she expected to see more of a downside and bigger risks from 1080 use, but its use had changed in recent years.

Less poison was now dropped per hectare and more controls had been put on its use, she said.

Dr Wright said while 1080 was potentially deadly to people there was "very, very low risk" that anyone could accidentally die from its current use.

She said she struggled to see what could work better than 1080. There was a role for other methods like trapping but the problem of pests would be much worse without its use, she said.

Labour conservation spokeswoman Ruth Dyson said she strongly supported the recommendations.

"We now have an evidence base upon which to form our views," she said.

"We cannot afford to give up the battle against introduced pests such as possums and stoats, because to do so would be abandoning our moral responsibility to future generations."

United Future leader Peter Dunne dismissed the report as a "kick in the guts for many of our provincial communities".

He said 1080 had been in use since the 1950s but native bird populations remained in serious decline.

"Most people recognise that after 50-odd years of fighting a losing battle it’s probably time to rethink your strategy, however not according to the proponents of 1080," he said.

"No matter what DoC's science says, spraying such an unpopular and deadly toxin over large tracts of our conservation estate, water catchments and farmland will never be accepted by those that reside in our provincial communities and see the devastation it causes."

Mr Dunne said he supported more investment in researching and developing alternatives for effective pest control.

The report recommended the Minister for the Environment investigate simplifying and standardising the way 1080 and other poisons were managed under the Resource Management Act and other laws.

The Game Animal Council should be established as an advisory body to work with the Department of Conservation (DoC), but pest control would still managed by DoC.

DoC should prioritise the development of national policy and operational procedures on possum fur harvesting.

It should also improve information about pest control, including the purposes and results of different pest control operations.

The Animal Health Board should be more transparent by opening it up to the Official Information Act.