M Kirkham's letter ‘Different or dirty shades of green' (The Weekend Sun, September 5) bizarrely scapegoats the Green Party over current use of 1080.

The Greens are not in government; they didn't create the current regulations around 1080, and cannot be held responsible for its current usage. Nor do the Green Party's policies support the 'dumping of toxic chemical over our streams and bush”.

In their pest-control policy, the Greens acknowledge New Zealand has a serious pest problem and the issue with controlling these pests lies in getting from 'here” - where there is a huge reliance on 1080 to deal with an overwhelming problem - to 'there” - where safer, more humane solutions are developed to a viable stage.

The Green Party's policy, therefore, is that in the shorter term 1080 should only be used as a last resort in inaccessible areas and away from waterways, farms, and towns.

In the longer term, their policy supports research and development of those safer, more humane pest control methods that avoid, as much as possible, the killing of non-target species.

Of all of the political parties, the Greens have the tightest and most forward-looking policy on 1080.

If you're deeply concerned about the widespread use of 1080, the Greens are indeed the ones to vote for.

G Oakbrook,Welcome Bay