A proposed fireworks bill could benefit pet welfare
A proposed bill will be debated in Parliament on Friday 17th January to restrict the noise and sale of fireworks. Its main purpose is to curb anti-social use, but more regulation will certainly have benefits to pets, livestock and wildlife.
Fireworks and animal welfare
In a poll by the RSPCA, 67% of pet owners said their pets showed fear or stress because of back garden displays.
As well as the period of stress, hearing damage is a concern. Animals can suffer from tinnitus, hearing loss and long-term hearing damage caused by fireworks.
Fireworks can produce a sound between 120-175 decibels yet sounds over 140 decibels can cause immediate damage and pain to a human’s hearing - and it’s well known that animals have more sensitive hearing than humans in both frequency and volume.
Take part - poll about your pet and fireworks
We’re interested to hear how your pet reacted to the New Year fireworks. Click below to answer our quick poll.
If you have more than one pet, you can answer the poll for each pet.
Fireworks and the current laws
Here are the current restrictions on the sale and use of fireworks:
Licensed shops can sell fireworks year-round, and unlicensed shops (such as supermarkets) can sell in the few days leading up to the major celebrations.
The sale of fireworks is banned to anyone under the age of 18.
You can set off fireworks on any day of the year before 11pm, except on certain evenings which have later curfews which are Bonfire Night, New Year's Eve, Diwali and Chinese New Year.
The proposed bill
The anti-social use of fireworks is very difficult to enforce, and the bill is hoping to find some solutions by further restricting sales and introducing a noise limit.
The bill is at stage 2, where the main principles are debated, and details of the bill would be debated at committee stage, if this passes.
We'll let you know more about the bill after it is read on Friday 17th January, and share the results of our pet poll.