WFU Campaign To Ban Sky Lanterns

I have received an email from the Women's Food and Farming Union who wish to highlight the campaign to ban sky lanterns. Sky lanterns are being suggested as alternatives to fireworks, but sky lanterns also have their hazards and can cause real damage to livestock, farm and food crops, wildlife, wildlife habitats and buildings.

So if you would like to support this campaign here are a few things that you can do to help:

1. If you see any lanterns for sale saying '100% biodegradable' purchase them, they usually cost about £2 each. Open them and if they have wire in them or bamboo or both, please retain all the packaging, and the receipt. Take them immediately to your local Trading Standards Office. Say “These lanterns are described as being 100% biodegradable, yet they contain wire and bamboo. BIS advice is that 100% biodegradable lanterns contain no metal or wires ” You should then advise the officer that Tony Shore from Staffordshire County Council is looking into similar matters. Contact details Tony Shore, email address is: antony.shore@staffordshire.gov.uk or telephone 01785 277875.

2. If you have found any lanterns which contain wire / bamboo or have caused damage to property / crops / animals, photograph (ideally digital images) any damage and the condition of the lantern. If you have any material that can be retrieved, place it carefully in a plastic bag. Ensure all veterinary opinions are documented. Refer the matter to your local trading standards and ask them to refer to Tony Shore (details above).

3. Following your visit to Trading Standards, email the details to Helen Bower on president@wfu.co.uk so that a register can be kept of the situation nationally. If you are unable to email Helen, contact her on 01636 813354.

4. Print off the petition below. If you would like an update on Lantern incidents email president@wfu.co.uk .Get as many signatures as possible and show people the evidence as per attachments to this email. Enlist the help of your friendly corn rep, tanker driver etc on your behalf, in order to collect signatures, all petitions to be sent to Karen Bellis Ty Hir Farm Llandegla Wrexham Flintshire LL11 3AH. You can encourage people to register online at www.ipetitions.com/petition/banchineselanterns. However, a paper petition passed around a meeting can soon gain momentum very quickly.

Petition
Lanterns (also known as Sky Lanterns, Chinese Lanterns or Wish Lanterns) are being launched in an uncontrolled way across the UK causing real damage to livestock, farm and food crops, wildlife, wildlife habitats and buildings.
We, the undersigned, call upon the Welsh Assembly Government and also the UK Government to ban the import, manufacture and sale of these lanterns.

Name	Address

Thank you for taking the time to read this.