NFU will continue to highlight the danger of Chinese lanterns

The NFU has vowed to continue its fight against the menace of Chinese lanterns, despite Government ruling out a ban.

The NFU has vowed to continue its fight against the menace of Chinese lanterns, despite Government ruling out a ban. Speaking in the House of Commons earlier this month, Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg recognised farmers’ concerns about the risks that lanterns pose to livestock and crops, but did not agree to an outright ban. Despite this, the NFU says it will continue to do all it can to educate people and to avert the tragedies caused by lanterns, including crop fires and livestock deaths. The NFU has already made some significant progress, with many high profile event organisers banning the release of lanterns. ITV has also agreed it would no longer carry its Chinese lantern ident before its news programming during the summer months as a result of the NFU’s work. Problems have persisted, however. In August alone there were numerous reports of crop fires caused by lanterns, including the loss of six acres of barley at a farm in Oxfordshire which needed 25 firefighters to tackle the blaze. A large number of cow fatalities have also been attributed to lanterns, with animals sometimes suffering slow and painful deaths after ingesting the wire used in their construction. NFU Government affairs adviser Nick von Westenholz said: “In the last few months alone we have seen cattle deaths, serious fires and some near misses where Chinese lanterns are concerned. “It is disappointing that the Government does not believe an outright ban on lanterns is justified at the present time. We will continue to make the strongest case for a ban but we will also work constructively to raise awareness of the problem; with retailers who sell lanterns, with event venues where they are often released and with the public who ultimately use them. We are confident that people are increasingly aware that releasing lanterns is not always the harmless fun it appears to be.” The Maritime and Coastguard Agency and the RNLI have also raised concerns over the release of Chinese lanterns, reporting a large increase in the number of false alarms at sea after lanterns were mistaken for distress flares. A number of fire services throughout the UK have also warned of the risks of using the lanterns. Notes To Editors: NFU SE PR Officer Isobel Bretherton Tel: 01730 711956/07778 002617. High resolution images are available from isobel.bretherton@nfu.org.uk

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