There is a well known saying, 'no pain, no gain' and that will be ringing true in the minds of Milk Link’s 1,600 producers, who are on the brink of reaping just reward for 12 years of loyalty and investment.Evidence needed to ban Chinese lanterns
CHINESE lanterns are killing livestock, destroying crops and must be banned before more damage is done, the head of the Women’s Food and Farming Union has warned.
Helen Bower, acting president of the WFU, said several of her members had lost cattle this year after they had ingested remnants from the wire-framed lanterns.
But Defra said nothing would be done without more substantial evidence of damage from across the industry.
Ms Bower said: “It is too easy for the wire to be chopped into silage or baled and then used as feed or bedding. One of our members lost four pedigree Limousin cattle this year. It has to stop, they must be banned. But Defra needs more evidence.”
Up to 200,000 burning lanterns, some the size of a bin bag, will be released into the air this year to celebrate birthdays, weddings and parties.
Biodegradable lanterns, made without wire, are available but even those are a fire hazard, warned Ms Bower.
Only last week an Oxfordshire farmer lost six acres of barley worth up to £4,000 after a Chinese lantern set fire to his crop, she said.
The WFU met with Jim Paice, the Farming Minster, to express their concerns over the lanterns last month but the Defra chief, while sympathetic, ruled out a ban until more conclusive evidence of damage had been gathered.
“That’s why we are urging all farmers to come forward with evidence of the damage done by these lanterns to their livestock or crops,” said Ms Bower.
Farmers with proof of damage can email Ms Bower at the WFU on president@wfu.org.uk or phone 0844 335 0342.
“When we have collected the evidence we will return to Defra with a real case to answer,” she said.
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Readers' comments (2)
Helen Claxton | 9 September 2010 0:16 am
I am in total agreement that Chinese Lanterns should be banned. On the 28th of August 2010 myself and my husband took our 2 children on a campimg holiday to ingoldmells, after meeting up with friends we returned 2 our tent to be greeted by a man telling us that he had to rip the front up to get in and put out a fire caused by a lantern. Some lads camping on site thought it would be fun to let a lantern off acros from our tent, due to windy weather the lantern landed on top of our tent burnt through the roof and down on to the ground sheet, i am only glad that none of us were asleep inside as we might not be here now.
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Chris Fountain | 1 November 2010 3:20 pm
I have been saying for some time that these lanterns should be banned, but after one landed in our garden last night and burst into flame I am even more aware of the risk they pose. It landed a few yards from or front window so we sawit come down. Had it come down at the side on top of our conservatory we wouldn't have known about it until it was well ablaze. I had to go out with a bucket of water to put it out. It was obviously faulty and dangerous.
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