Bedfordshire farmer calls for sky lantern ban
Bedfordshire farmer, Nigel Barnes, found a fallen sky lantern in a hedge next to his drive, amid severe weather and fires in the region. If it hadn’t been found when it was, animals, the environment, and people in the area could have been harmed by a devastating fire.
Photo: Looi/ NFU
This incident is a stark reminder of the dangers of sky lanterns to animals. Lanterns can be made of a mix of latex, plastic, bamboo, paper, cardboard, and metal wiring. When they land, they can disturb and damage wildlife habitats. Additionally, if a lantern still lit when it lands, it can pose a major fire safety risk to landscape, animals, and humans alike. While some sky lanterns may be made of materials that are considered to be more environmentally friendly, they still pose a risk to our wildlife, landscapes, and even air traffic.
Pictured: Nigel Barnes. Photo from NFU
The risk of prolonged dry weather causing fires is already a serious concern, with fires raging across the UK and drought being experienced in several regions. This risk is heightened when people are releasing lit sky lanterns which can land anywhere and pose a serious fire risk. Following the incident at Mr Barnes’ farm, he is now calling for a ban on sky lanters.
The dangers of lanterns to animal welfare and our natural environment are clear. As a result, Animal Concern has been lobbying local authorities across Scotland to put in place bans on helium balloons and sky lanterns, with several adopting policies as a result of our campaigning.
Additionally, we are engaging with venues which host events that might engage in the release of helium balloons, sky lanterns and fireworks, asking them to sign a pledge to be “animal safe” venues and to use alternative animal friendly displays in their celebrations.
There is a strong need for tighter restrictions on the release of lanterns and better public awareness of the harms caused by them. We urge people to use animal safe alternatives to lanterns when celebrating or paying tribute to a loved one.
The incident at Mr Barnes’ property shows how much further we have to go to raise awareness of the dangers of both helium balloons and sky lanterns. Local authorities and the Scottish Government must pursue bans on both as a matter of urgency so that no more animals needlessly lose their lives in such a painful and awful way.
Read the story in full here.
Find out more about our campaign to ban helium balloons and sky lanterns here.