Appeal for fireworks’ limit to protect livestock
A leading Yorkshire animal welfare campaigner has called for a limit the number of days fireworks can be set off as RSPCA Assured urged farmers to take steps to safeguard their livestock.
Amanda Stoddart-West, Welfare Stewarding Group, Livestock and Entries Co-Ordinator at the Yorkshire Agricultural Society, said laser light and drone shows represented “a better way forward” than firework and had become popular in other countries.
She said: "While I understand some people enjoy a fireworks display, there are plenty of people and animals that don’t.
"It’s obviously a longstanding tradition, however, it would be far better for sensitive people and animals if the number of days of fireworks were restricted, as fireworks now seem to go on for two or three weeks, where originally it was just November 5."
Mrs Stoddart-West said displays should also be restricted to organised events.
She said: "I don’t think people understand the fear and distress that it causes. With the number of animals that get injured as a result, or escape, run off and lost in the panic, have heart attacks, it really is time in this enlightened age that we surely we could do a bit more for our animals.”
The warning comes just three months after a calf died in a stampede triggered by fireworks set off near farmland in Carleton, near Blackpool.
It also comes as an RSPCA study found more than six million households in England and Wales are planning to set off fireworks in the coming weeks. In response, RSPCA Assured, the farm assurance scheme run by the charity, has advice to help farmers cut stress for their animals as Bonfire Night approaches.
The RSPCA is lobbying the government for fresh firework legislation to protect animals and rural communities. It has proposed restricting firework sales to licensed retailers, cutting the maximum noise levels allowed from 120dB to 90dB, and launching designated firework-free zones near livestock, wildlife habitats, and sensitive rural areas.
Charlotte Thomas, regional assessment manager at RSPCA Assured, said: “Every year, farmed animals are frightened by fireworks – despite it being illegal to light fireworks near fields and barns where livestock are kept. We are offering advice to farmers and the public to help reduce the fear and stress fireworks cause.”
The RSPCA study found 66 per cent of animal owners say that backyard firework displays are a major concern. Unpredictability around when and where fireworks are set off highlights the levels of anxiety for farmers and animal owners, the study concluded.
RSPCA Assured said farmers should talk to neighbours and the local community to make them aware of livestock and that fences and enclosures should be checked and reinforced. It said playing low, soothing music can help to mask the sound of fireworks, especially if animals are gradually introduced to background noise in the days leading up to Bonfire Night. Farmers are also being encouraged to monitor their animals closely during displays.