Celebrations for the Year of the Dragon began over the weekend, but the official celebration will be today; following recommendations from vets and industry members, the NFU has asked that revellers think twice before letting of Chinese lanterns.

 image expired

The union claims the lanterns, which float into the air when a candle is lit inside them and can drift for several miles, can cause harm to animals if they land in fields. It began its campaign to ban the devices after a cow was killed early last year, having eaten part of a lantern’s wire frame. However, lantern manufacturers have said they are modifying the design of their lanterns to replace wire with fire retardant string, minimising the risk to animals and effect on the environment.

On Friday, the Marine Conservation Society became the latest organisation to add its name to a list of organisations pushing for a ban, including the police and fire service.

Emma Snowden, Marine Conservation Society litter campaigns officer, explained, “They are contributing to the litter issue and pose a threat to our beautiful marine wildlife, we are confident that the public would back a ban if they were fully aware of the serious damage lanterns could do.

“When we reported the recent Spanish ban on our Facebook page we were amazed at the strength of feeling out there, all of which backed a ban of both balloon and lantern releases.”

Tweet