On December 6th 2023 a group of charities welcomed MPs to a coalition event to discuss how firework legislation is failing the vulnerable in our society. Humans and animal welfare suffers when fireworks are used sporadically throughout the year.
The event was hosted by the ‘Fireworks coalition’ consisting of: Combat Stress, Help for Heroes, Dogs Trust, Blue Cross, Battersea, British Veterinary Association, Cats Protection, Children’s Burns Trust, The Kennel Club, PTSD UK, Dan’s Fund for Burns, Assistance Dogs, Service Dogs, The British Horse Society, Redwings and Bravehounds.
The message from every charity was clear. The government needs to introduce tougher restrictions on firework use.“We call on the UK government to conduct a review of existing fireworks legislation accounting for their impact on human and animal welfare.”
The gold nugget to take from this is that the ‘human’ charities have joined with the animal charities. Stronger together.
The Firework Campaign is working closely with the BHS, RSPCA and Redwings.
We will keep you up to date with more from the Firework Working Group as it happens.
Under UK firework legislation it is legal to set off fireworks between the hours of 0700 and 2300 (extended to midnight for bonfire night and 1am for New Year, Diwali and Chinese New Year).
PLEASE write to your MP and let them know how animals are affected by fireworks. This is easy to do using the RSPCA template. There is a pre-written letter. All you need to do is fill in your details and click send.
IF YOU DON’T TELL THEM THEY WON’T KNOW
The RSPCA are asking for the UK Government to follow Scotland’s lead and introduce legislation for the following:
Limit the sale of fireworks for Bonfire Night from 29 October to 5 November and limit the days they can be let off. At present fireworks can be sold from 15 October to 10 November and this can prolong the period when fireworks are let off. The restrictions for the sale of fireworks for other traditional dates are only a few days.
Introduce firework control zones to provide better protection to vulnerable people and animals. Such zones are used elsewhere in the world. We feel they could be used effectively to protect animals, in particular in localised areas. An example is no fireworks being allowed near where horses are kept, sensitive wildlife areas, farms or zoos.
Introduce a licensing system for the purchase and sale of fireworks by and to members of the public. This would place a sensible limit on access to fireworks. It’ll require those wishing to purchase fireworks to attend a training course, improving safety and awareness of their impact. We’d like to see the impact of fireworks on animals and people form part of any training course.
Reduce the maximum permitted noise level of fireworks for public sale from 120dB to 90dB. Setting the limit at 90dB would be consistent with the approach in other countries. It’ll encourage manufacturers to design and produce quieter fireworks. We welcome the Office for Product Safety and Standards commissioning research into the noise levels of fireworks currently being sold to the public and look forward to seeing the results.
On New Years day my horse of a lifetime and best friend Talullah, who I had owned for 18 years, had to be put to sleep. This was a direct result of our neighbours letting off fireworks close by.
Talullah was usually reasonably calm with fireworks. Combined with the terrible weather that night, we thought that the risk of random unplanned displays would be minimised. However, we couldn’t have predicted what fireworks people choose to let off.
Tragically what was let off on New Years Eve was so terrifying to her that she ran blindly straight through a solid wooden fence. She came to a stop on a local road. The police attended and closed the road and called the emergency vet. I got to the scene (with my children in the car) to find my horse lying on the road. A horrific scene that I will never be able to forget.
With the help of a vet and police escorts, we managed to get Talullah up and home.
We tried to get her stable comfortable (sedated, painkillers, fluids and a rectal exam), as for a while we were hopeful that she might get through the shock, potential internal injuries and the colic that was caused by her terror.
By 1pm on New Years day she was seriously ill and was suffering. Despite the highest level of pain relief having been administered, Talullah was still in horrific pain and was shaking, dripping with sweat, falling over, and showing a heart rate of 120.
Under the vet’s guidance l did the only thing that I could for her and made her pain end, she was euthanised.
My horse of a lifetime is dead and suffered a horrific painful death and a massive vet bill. I can’t stop thinking about what I saw and how she suffered so horrendously, I keep seeing flashbacks, all so people can enjoy fireworks at home.
I am sorry to say it but this unnecessary suffering was a direct result of people setting off fireworks in their back gardens.
I completely understand that some people will have absolutely no idea of the potential damage and suffering that fireworks can cause, so my aim is to help those people to get a better understanding of the problem and explain why we have got to put a stop to the excessive use of fireworks near livestock.
“The Animal Welfare Act 2006 states it is an offence to cause any unnecessary suffering to any captive or domestic animal. Government advice is – Fireworks must not be set off near livestock or horses in fields or close to buildings housing livestock”
Furthermore “Section 4 of the AWA 2006 says
(1) A person commits an offence if—
(a) an act of his, or a failure of his to act, causes an animal to suffer,
(d) the suffering is unnecessary.”
The offence carries a fine of up to £20,000 and/or a prison term of up to six months. The Act is enforced by local councils, animal health officers and the Police.
We all totally understand that people want to enjoy fireworks, but was it really worth the pain and suffering that it has caused, just to have them at home?
In future, I beg you to please consider going to a well publicised, organised display, instead of doing one at home. There are so many displays at various times of the year for different religions and celebrations. Most of them are organised to raise money for a charity which is even better.
My heart is broken, we have lost our very much loved family pet, my horse of a lifetime gone forever for someone’s few minutes of gratification.
For the sake of the other animals and livestock, please can we come together to make sure no other animals suffer a horrific tragic death like my best friend Talullah did.
People can do better than this!
Some notes to help people understand and provide some insight as to the realities of fireworks and horses:
*As prey animals, horses have a heightened sense of awareness, highly sensitive to loud noises, strange smells and flashing lights. Naturally, their instinct is to flee when they sense danger.
*Even the calmest of horses can become extremely unsettled. When something is upsetting to horses or causes discomfort, the adrenal glands release a hormone called cortisol. Also known as the ‘stress hormone’, this prepares their body to react, resulting in significant and often dangerous behaviour changes.
*Stress in horses can very quickly cause serious digestive issues which lead to Colic. Colic is a serious, extremely painful condition that is frequently fatal.
*A horse will cope best in a familiar environment, keeping to his or her normal routine. So if it lives out, stay out. If it lives in a stable to stay in. Not all horses cope with living in a stable or being confined, for some being confined increases their distress.
*Sedatives can be purchased from a vet in advance, during working hours. This does not include weekends and bank holidays. The cost is typically around £50 for the stronger doses. Sedation only works for a set length of time and must be given in advance of the planned upset, or there is a risk that the horse’s adrenaline will override the sedation.
*Sedation is not something that is suitable for all horses due to age and other health conditions.
If you are considering having a display at home, please, please, please just stop and evaluate if it is really worth it?
If you got this far, thank you so much. Joanna Barnett
Please take a look at the following links. We are all desperate for the unnecessary suffering to stop. Please support
THE FIREWORK CAMPAIGN.
Editors note: What a terrible start to 2023 for Joanna, sadly Talullah is not the first, and even worse….she won’t be the last.
Please support our campaign to stop firework sales to the general public and keep them to well-advertised licensed displays.
“Fear, including the fear of loud noises, is deeply rooted in the evolutionary history of all animals. Shying away from dangerous situations increases survival. For example, hiding away from loud thunderstorms and running away from the noise of falling rocks might save an animal’s life.
“But there is nowhere to hide from fireworks. What must it be like for the wild animals that delight us on walks and picnics to be confronted with such an inescapable barrage of sound?
“Unfortunately, scientists don’t know much about exactly how fireworks impact animals as they’re difficult to observe at night. But what we have learned is alarming. Our recent study, one of the first to study how fireworks affect wildlife, showed how physically distressed animals – in this case geese – were made by New Year’s firework celebrations.”
Eleven organisations have signed an open letter to the Government asking for a review of fireworks sale and use. These are the BVA, Dogs Trust, Battersea Dogs and Cats Home, Blue Cross, Cats Protection, Children’s Burns Trust, Combat Stress, Dan’s Fund for Burns, Help for Heroes, The Kennel Club and PTSD UK.
The letter urges the UK Government to follow in the Scottish Government’s footsteps by committing to a review of the sale and use of fireworks and their impact on animals and people.
The text of the open letter reads:
“We are writing on behalf of a number of organisations that work to improve the welfare of both people and animals, to urge your department to undertake a review of fireworks legislation.
“Current easy access to fireworks is a serious concern for animals that suffer from noise fear, as well as vulnerable people such as those that suffer from Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder, veterans, or children, young people and adults who are at high risk of being burned at private or public displays. In the lead-up to fireworks season and the heightened use of fireworks that occurs as part of this, we are increasingly concerned about the impact of fireworks on these groups.
“Although there have been several Government awareness campaigns around fireworks, there has been no legislative commitment to a review of fireworks and their impact on people and animal welfare.
“You will be aware that, in June of this year, the Scottish Parliament passed the Fireworks and Pyrotechnics Articles (Scotland) Bill. Once the relevant provisions come into force, the Bill will introduce fireworks licensing in Scotland and specifies that fireworks can only be supplied to, and used by, members of the public only on certain dates (around celebration periods). It also grants local authorities the powers to set-up ‘firework control zones’. The Welsh Government has also indicated it is supportive of UK-wide restrictions on fireworks to avoid border crossing purchasing to circumvent devolved legislation.
“We urge your department to follow suit and to look at reviewing where and when fireworks can be used elsewhere in the UK. Currently, too many animals and people are suffering the consequences of insufficient existing legislation. We strongly believe that this must change.
“We would welcome an opportunity to meet with you to discuss our concerns in more detail.”
Please support this action by clicking here. Scroll down to the bottom of the page and fill in your details. It will find your MP and you just need to click on “email your MP”
The RSPCA are asking the UK Government to follow Scotland’s lead and introduce legislation for the following:
Limit the sale of fireworks for Bonfire Night from 29 October to 5 November and limit the days they can be let off. At present fireworks can be sold from 15 October to 10 November and this can prolong the period when fireworks are let off. The restrictions for the sale of fireworks for other traditional dates are only a few days.
Introduce firework control zones to provide better protection to vulnerable people and animals. Such zones are used elsewhere in the world. We feel they could be used effectively to protect animals, in particular in localised areas. An example is no fireworks being allowed near where horses are kept, sensitive wildlife areas, farms or zoos.
Introduce a licensing system for the purchase and sale of fireworks by and to members of the public. This would place a sensible limit on access to fireworks. It’ll require those wishing to purchase fireworks to attend a training course, improving safety and awareness of their impact. We’d like to see the impact of fireworks on animals and people form part of any training course.
Reduce the maximum permitted noise level of fireworks for public sale from 120dB to 90dB. Setting the limit at 90dB would be consistent with the approach in other countries. It’ll encourage manufacturers to design and produce quieter fireworks.
Scotland leads the way on firework legislation proving that things can change and persistence pays off. This is happening because MPs listened when their constituents contacted them. This can happen in the rest of the UK but your MP needs to hear from you. It’s easy using https://www.writetothem.com. Just tell them your experiences – if you don’t tell them they won’t know
Joanna Barnett
The Firework Campaign UK 