New Zealand Thar Foundation spokesman Greg Duley says the tahr foundation has been speaking to all the major ammunition importers and manufacturers in the country. (File)

New Zealand Tahr Foundation spokesman Greg Duley says nine importers and manufacturers of ammunition will refuse to supply the Department of Conservation as the fight to stop a planned tahr cull heats up.

"We have not spoken to the individual retail shops, only the importers and the retail chains large enough to supply the 100,000 rounds that DOC are after," Duley said.

The nine importers and manufacturers would not supply ammunition for the cull until Conservation Minister Eugenie Sage agreed to Game Animal Council New Zealand's (GAC) draft tahr management proposal, Duley said.

The plan to halt the supply of ammunition follows DOC's proposal to cull up to 17,500 tahr as it attempts to get the population, estimated by the department to be as many as 35,000, down to the Himalayan Tahr Management Plan's target of 10,000 on conservation land.

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There have also been additional culls in the Aoraki/Mt Cook National and the Westland/Tai Poutini national parks, where there is a target of "zero density" of tahr.

The plan has been in place since 1993.

Tahr graze at high altitudes, in alpine grasslands and sub-alpine shrub, where they feed most intensively on tall snow tussock.

The New Zealand Tahr Foundation has argued the cull is indiscriminate and it has disputed the numbers estimated by the department.

A petition launched by the National Party urging Sage to stop the cull has received more than 25,000 signatures since it was launched earlier this week.

Among those who have agreed not to supply the department are Hunting and Fishing NZ, Steve's Wholesale, and Reloaders Supplies, Duley said.

Hunting and Fishing NZ chief executive Darren Jacobs said it was down to each store whether they went through with the no supply policy, but in principle, they supported the New Zealand Tahr Foundation's efforts.

"Things are changing daily, but what we want is a halt to the cull until DOC actually consults properly with the hunting community," Jacobs said.

Reloaders Supplies general manager Scott Stonex said DOC's decision to cull the tahr had been "arbitrary" and based on poor science.

"Let's get a proper count of how many animals there are. We accept that some tahr need to be culled, but we don't want these animals exterminated," Stonex said.

Sage confirmed in a statement to Stuff on Thursday that the control operation is proceeding despite claims from National conservation spokesperson Sarah Dowie that it had been delayed.

Duley said the NZ Tahr Foundation had been speaking to all the major ammunition importers and manufacturers in the country.

GAC's proposal, released on Thursday, says there is a general acknowledgement that tahr numbers need to be reduced, but not in the manner or to the timetable set out in the original proposal.

"In short, the original proposal places significant costs on hunting sector participants, but has no mechanism for them to benefit from participation.

"Consequently, the hunting sector is unwilling to support the original proposal.

"It may not be necessary to kill the proposed number of thar to comply with the plan, and it is certainly not necessary to do some immediately."

GAC's proposal says the control plan should be a partnership between Sage, DOC, and GAC.

"As far as possible, science should inform decisions.

"Important aspects include monitoring of tahr harvests by each sector, monitoring of vegetation and tahr numbers, modelling tahr population responses to hunting and to environmental changes, measuring the effects of tahr on native vegetation, and identification of social objectives.

"Tahr control operations will be prioritised by science-informed conservation priority at place."

GAC's proposal suggests a co-ordinated cull of up to 8000 breeding females (two-years-and-older) in two tranches throughout the tahr range, while it advocates a "no bulls" culling policy.

"Bulls have zero reproductive capacity. Killing nannies in preference to bulls, whether juvenile or mature, maximises environmental benefits and is more effective for population management."