HAPPY LANTERN-FREE CHINESE NEW YEAR

NFU Scotland has joined farming organisations across the UK in wishing well all those who celebrate the Chinese New Year, which begins this Thursday 3 February, but has urged all those taking part to resist the temptation to light ‘sky lanterns’, which may be released into the air as part of the festivities.

Sky lanterns, which have become increasingly popular in the UK in recent years at many celebrations including weddings and large parties, are made from very fine pieces of paper held in a balloon shape by a thin metal wire or piece of bamboo, which can cause serious harm to livestock if they are ingested or become entangled. They also present a risk to dry standing crops, trees and farm buildings if they land whilst still alight.

NFUS will be writing to EU Commissioner John Dalli, who, in response to a recent question from UK MEP Julie Girling, acknowledged the risk that sky lanterns pose to livestock, in particular. This recognition is welcome, but the suggestion that farmers could take preventive measures ‘such as checking regularly the grounds or inserting magnets in cattle stomachs,’ as per the Commissioner’s recommendations, is absurd.

NFU Scotland Livestock Policy Manager, Penny Johnston said:

“As the popularity of releasing flying lanterns at parties and other events grows, the problems they can cause for farmers are becoming increasingly apparent. Across the UK, there have been numerous reports of harm to livestock, and in some instances death, when lanterns have landed in farmers’ fields, and cattle have ingested the metal wires.

“There is a further risk to cattle when grass is cut and ensiled for winter feed, and the wire is chopped up and subsequently contained in hay or silage. The lanterns also pose a fire hazard to dry standing crops, forestry and farm buildings, not to mention the problem of unsightly litter they cause.

“In Scotland, the situation appears to be less acute than it is south of the border. Some of our members have told us of their concerns but mercifully, no cases of actual harm to animals crops or buildings have been reported to NFUS, although we continue to ask our members to let us know if there is an incident. However, while sky lanterns continue to be used, it is just a matter of time; several members of NFUS staff have found sky lantern remains on or near farmland in Renfrewshire, Aberdeenshire and near Edinburgh in recent weeks.

“In response to the issue, the UK’s farm unions wrote to sky lantern manufacturers to urge them to tackle the problem. Until they are made from materials which are either consumed by the flame before they reach the ground or of a substance which biodegrades quickly and will not harm livestock if they become entangled in or ingest it, then the sale and use of sky lanterns should be banned, as is the case in Germany and Lithuania.

“With regard to Commissioner Dalli’s comments, farmers check their ground routinely, but it is impossible to survey every area of the farm frequently and at close enough range to detect pieces of litter such as sky lantern remains, particularly if they fall in a standing crop. Nor would a magnet in one or more of a cow’s five stomachs be of much help once a wire, or several pieces of wire have been ingested.”