Rabbit Information Service highly recommends that people interested in the RHDV issue consider purchasing these conference proceedings which bought together scientists from the USA, Australia and New Zealand and others. This conference was given little publicity in Australia (strange since it was the first time that the scientists advocating RHDV as a biocontrol and those scientists who had serious concerns about the deliberate spread of the RHDV virus had attended a conference together on the RHDV issue).



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T h e R o y a l S o c i e t y o f N e w Z e a l a n d
Science and Technology Alert 67 5 March 1999


Announced the release of the following conference proceedings:

4. RABBIT CONTROL, RCD: DILEMMAS AND IMPLICATIONS Proceedings of a conference on rabbit calicivirus (RCD), organised by the New Zealand Association of Scientists (NZAS), with the assistance of the Royal Society, 30-31 March 1998, held 7 months after the illegal introduction of the virus.

In July 1997, an application to import RCD into New Zealand as a rabbit biocontrol was turned down by the Ministry of Agriculture and Fisheries (MAF). However, by 27 August, the virus had been illegally imported and spread by a group of irresponsible farmers. MAF speedily discovered that there was no containing it in the face of a widespread farmer conspiracy to spread it. The breach of biosecurity was immense, and no police investigation or prosecution has eventuated. The Government hastily promulgated Regulations on 26 September 1997 followed by a Bill to legalise the possession and spread of the virus, and set up a scientific programme to research issues related to its effectiveness.

Why do some New Zealand (and Australian) scientists working on RCD support its use and other scientists oppose it? Without scientific debate, the uncertainties and issues were wide ranging. The conference organised by the NZAS looked to address this question in the weeks leading up to the Bill being passed into law. In the event, The Biosecurity (Rabbit Calicivirus) Amendment Act 1998 became law on the first day of the conference.

The proceedings of the conference highlight four key issues: (1) The current situation with regard to rabbits as a pest, and the potential effectiveness of RCD in New Zealand in killing them, or of making the rabbit problem worse

(2) Virological issues, such as the question of whether RCD is safe as a biocontrol agent - in particular, is it species- specific and likely to stay that way?

(3) What is happening to RCD in New Zealand, Britain, Europe and Australia-especially its spread, genetic change, modification of its virulence, and the existence of an avirulent form of the virus?

(4) The wider legal, public policy, and biosecurity issues resulting from the illegal importation.

This proceedings (The Royal Society of New Zealand miscellaneous series 55) is available at a price of NZ$40 (including GST and p&p) from The Royal Society of New Zealand, PO Box 598, Wellington. Ph. 04-472 7421; fax. 04-473 1841; email sales@rsnz.govt.nz


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