LOCAL Farmers and environmentalists are happy after the decision to cancel the ‘Festival of Lights’ mass release of Chinese sky lanterns near Lockerbie, Dumfries and Galloway on 11th August. Chinese Lanterns are not just a fire hazard when they land on buildings and in crops but they also contain metal wire that is a major hazard to livestock and wildlife.
Teresa Dougall, NFU Scotland Regional Manager for Dumfries and Galloway said, “There will be great relief amongst the local farming community that this event, originally planned for harvest time in August, will not go ahead.
“As soon as NFU Scotland became aware of the plans, we raised the matter with the event host, Dumfries and Galloway Council and local politicians. The Union has been campaigning for a ban on sky lanterns for several years now. Last year, Dumfries and Galloway Council announced a ban on the release of sky lanterns at all major events the council would host or sponsor, joining the majority of local authorities across Scotland.
“However, this doesn’t go far enough and we would again urge politicians and local councils to consider options to place a full ban on the release of sky lanterns across the country. While organisers of such events may point at insurance being in place, that is of little comfort. By the time insurance is needed, the damage to property, crops, woodland or animal health has been done.
NFU Scotland Policy Manager Penny Middleton said: “While this is a welcome, common-sense decision, it shouldn’t require a campaign to achieve this result. Chinese lanterns can cause untold damage as there is no control over where these burning structures of paper, metal and wood decide to land. That means they present an unacceptable risk to animal health, property and farmland at any time of year. NFU Scotland’s long-standing position is that the release of these seemingly innocent devices should be permanently banned, and we are building support at a public, political and local authority level in a bid to achieve that.”
