The Scottish Government has published its new Fireworks and Pyrotechnics Bill, that aims to reduce the negative impact of fireworks and pyrotechnics on Scotland’s communities. We are very supportive of the Bill, which would likely drastically reduce the use of fireworks.
The noise of fireworks can be a real source of fear and distress for animals and we have long campaigned for tighter regulations surrounding the use and sale of fireworks in Scotland.
What does the Bill propose?
The Bill proposes to introduce tighter restrictions on the sale and use of fireworks and the misuse of pyrotechnics.
The Bill’s proposals include:
- the introduction of a fireworks licensing system
- a new power for local authorities to designate firework control zones, where it is not permitted for the public to use fireworks
- restricting the days fireworks can be sold to and used by the general public
- a new offence to criminalise the supply of fireworks and pyrotechnics to under-18s to ensure adults do not purchase such products on behalf of children
- a new offence of being in possession of a pyrotechnic while at, or travelling to, certain places or events, without reasonable excuse
What role did OneKind play in securing tighter regulations?
We have campaigned for many years for greater regulation of fireworks and responded to the Scottish Government’s consultation on fireworks in Scotland with OneKind supporters’ experiences of their animals suffering at the hands of fireworks.
We have also raised awareness of the negative impact of fireworks on animal welfare in the media many times over the years, including in the BBC, STV and The Herald.
What impact does fireworks have on animals?
Companion animals
The noise of fireworks can be a real source of fear and distress for animals, as many who have shared their homes with animals will know. Over the years, we’ve heard from supporters whose animals have been unable to stop shaking, panting, pacing and attempting to hide. Sadly, some cases are more extreme, with reports of guardians unable to encourage their dog to go outside for days at a time during fireworks season and others who feel forced to leave their home during Bonfire season and head somewhere rural until the number of firework displays dies down.
The effect of fireworks on animals can even be fatal. Last year, we were upset to learn of 18 month year old epileptic dog, Ollie, who died from a seizure in his guardian’s arms during a fireworks display in their semi-rural community.
Firework displays on private properties are particularly stressful, as people in the area are unlikely to be notified in advance of the display and thus are unable to put measures in place to attempt to reduce their animal’s distress.
Farmed and wild animals
But, it is not just companion animals that may suffer due to fireworks. Farmed animals and wild animals can suffer just as much as the animals we share our homes with and yet they are often forgotten in the conversation surrounding fireworks and animal welfare. Wild animals, such as hedgehogs, are sadly even at risk of being burnt alive as they build their homes in bonfires.
The future of fireworks
We are delighted to see that the Scottish Government has listened to the concerns of the Scottish public and has proposed tighter restrictions on fireworks in response. Improved regulation of the sale and use of fireworks in Scotland will help to create safer communities for animals and humans alike.
The word ‘passive’ means
‘accepting or allowing what happens or what others do, without active response or resistance’.
Case in point – passive smoking means breathing in other people’s tobacco smoke. However, to avoid the effects of passive smoking you can actively respond by moving to another room or at least move away from the source of the smoke – or resistance, by not allowing people to smoke.
There is no such alternative with fireworks. Those of us who are noise sensitive or who have animals, HAVE to ‘accept’ or ‘allow’ random people setting off fireworks nearby, as there is no active response or resistance we can take – because it’s legal! Sadly it means having to tolerate the explosive effects of other people’s fireworks whilst watching our animals suffer terrifying consequences and being unable to help or pacify them.
Unlike passive smoking, we can’t move to another room, go outside, go inside, upstairs, downstairs, back of the house, front of the house – even worse if the animals are in fields / outdoor spaces such as horses, livestock or our wildlife – there’s just nowhere to escape the terrifying noise. The effect of this on us, our animals and wildlife is totally unacceptable in this day and age.
Forced exposure to passive smoking breaches human rights – so why doesn’t forced exposure to fireworks?
“Forced exposure to passive smoking breaches human rights – so why doesn’t forced exposure to fireworks?”
Well, because animals don’t have their own bill of rights, unfortunately, and because fireworks don’t give you lung cancer.
Animals are everywhere (as well as humans), so even if fireworks were restricted to open areas, away from populated places, there might still be other animals (or people annoyed by them), like wild-life or farm animals, affected. So, there can’t be a case of win-win.
But, there are already low noise fireworks out there which are kinder to our and our animals’ ears, it’s just a case of developing a legal framework of use because empathy is a rare trait these days.
On the other hand, good luck trying to force people to use them, some people can’t even be convinced for more self-evident issues.