He is charged with being reckless," Mr Mansfield said. "He is not charged with intentionally doing it. He has pleaded guilty to being reckless in not making an inquiry as to whether he could raise moths here. "It started in London where it is not an offence and he has continued with it in New Zealand. Last night Hollingsworth's lawyer Ron Mansfield said his client had had a fascination with moths since he was a child. It is estimated that eradicating any pale tussock moth outbreak would cost around $100 million. An outbreak of an introduced pest could result in New Zealand's trading partners banning New Zealand horticultural products, says MAF. Pit and stone fruit trees - which have a high economic value to New Zealand - are among their favourite plants. "For someone to be ignorant of that is almost unbelievable," he said. New Zealand was renowned for its border biosecurity there were constant television advertisements and warnings when people returned from overseas. "At worst it is extremely irresponsible, but you don't know just how naive these people are," Mr Kay said yesterday. Malcolm Kay, a forest entomologist with Forest Research in Rotorua, who compiled a report for MAF, said that importation of the pale tussock moth was "particularly galling" in the light of the huge efforts in the recent past to eradicate tussock moths. MAF said that Hollingsworth's actions put the country's billion-dollar agriculture and forestry industries at risk. Hollingsworth allegedly told the officials that he was aware of the tussock moth and painted apple moth eradication programmes. The caterpillars were kept in plastic containers in Hollingsworth's bedroom. He told MAF officials that he ensured no larvae were present when he threw the leaves away and always put the leaves in tied-up rubbish bags. Hollingsworth, who said that he used to keep butterflies when he lived in England, told MAF that he fed the caterpillars birch, rose and native titoki leaves and they would also eat leaves from fruit trees, citrus and Mexican orange blossom. While he had no intention of releasing the moths or butterflies, he could not guarantee that the larvae could not escape. According to MAF's summary of facts, Hollingsworth denied knowing it was illegal to import the eggs, but acknowledged that he was aware that if the caterpillars or moths had escaped some would have become pests, defoliating trees. None of the species is found in New Zealand. When MAF searched Hollingsworth's home they found four species of moth and butterfly eggs and caterpillars, alive and dead, including 85 live caterpillars from three species. They included the pale tussock moth, the giant or royal silkworm moth, the citrus swallowtail butterfly, the scarlet windowed moth and the luna moth. On five occasions between April and July 2001 Hollingsworth ordered moth and butterfly eggs from a British supplier through the internet. Hollingsworth was caught when the International Mail Centre in Auckland intercepted an envelope containing eggs from the scarlet windowed moth. The charge carries a maximum term of five years' jail and/or a $100,000 fine. He is due to be sentenced in the Auckland District Court next month. The laboratory technician has admitted a charge of buying unauthorised goods under the Biosecurity Act. The pale tussock moth was one of five types of moth imported between April and July 2001 by Epsom man Andrew Hollingsworth, 30, who has an interest in breeding moths and butterflies. It has now budgeted $110 million to wipe out the painted apple moth from West Auckland and the North Shore. In 1996 MAF spent $10.8 million in eradicating the white spotted tussock moth from Auckland's eastern suburbs. The pale tussock moth belongs to the same family as the white spotted tussock moth and the painted apple moth, which authorities fear could ravage New Zealand's forestry industry. AFTER you have listened to ROW YOUR BOAT.īTW If you sell Garvey a cheap reliable used car or touring van you'll be guaranteed to be reincarnated as higher than a grasshopper.By TONY STICKLEY An Auckland man has admitted breaching stringent biosecurity laws by importing eggs of a foreign moth that could ravage the country's horticulture and forests. MOTH NOR RUST is auditioning female singers, skilled instrumentalists and a roadie/driver, and looking for video production persons and actors for a surreal music comedy feature film. He is based in the corn fields of central Illinois near Champaign. Garvey is an artist, composer, and filmmaker. MOTH NOR RUST is a solo project of Frank Garvey with occasional guest artists.
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