South East MEP Sharon Bowles calls for ban on dangerous wire-built sky lanterns

9.45.00pm GMT Mon 8th Feb 2010

Sharon Bowles with Chinese lantern in field

Lib Dem MEP Sharon Bowles has called for a ban on wire-built sky lanterns, also known as Chinese lanterns, after farmers in her constituency of South East England complained that the wire could cause injury to livestock.

A report by the National Farmers' Union said that wire-built lanterns landing on farmland could be accidentally chopped up with silage and fed to livestock, causing extreme discomfort and possibly death. The Union's other concern is that the lanterns, which can travel up to 30 miles, could land on un-baled hay or farm buildings, causing fire damage to property and crops.

Sharon Bowles said: "When you hear about the damage these wire-built lanterns could cause, there are only two solutions: redesign them to be biodegradable and without risk of harm to animals or children, or ban flying lanterns altogether, so that unnecessary suffering to animals and farmers' wallets is avoided."

Tom Tupper, current County Chairman of the West Sussex National Farmers' Union, said: "A fellow farmer had a cow die from swallowing the wire from one of these lanterns. It was not a painless death. As the County Chairman of the West Sussex branch of the NFU, I feel it is an issue that needs to be properly discussed."

Marc Cooper, the RSPCA's senior scientific officer, said: "There is a serious threat to cattle that ingest this wire. I think people should be more sensitive when they use these lanterns and importers should tell manufacturers overseas they need safer designs."

Roland McKie, Search and Rescue Standards Officer at the Maritime and Coastguard Agency, said: "There have been cases where members of the public have reported flares at sea which turn out to be lanterns. The cost of deploying search and rescue boats in such cases is quite expensive."

Sharon Bowles said: "I am raising this issue now because it needs to be resolved before the summer, when lanterns appear at festivals and functions across the South East."

ENDS