A European Commission suggestion of putting magnets in cows' stomachs to counter the health risks of ingesting metallic objects left in fields was dismissed as "absolutely ridiculous" today. The Commission idea came in answer to a Tory MEP who asked what Brussels was doing about the potential dangers to livestock - and people - from the fallout from Chinese lanterns.

The lanterns will be floating free in the skies for the next week as part of thousands of events celebrating Chinese New Year which starts tomorrow. They are kept aloft by lighted candles inside them - but they can cause fires, injuries to people, and death to livestock ingesting the metal remains of lantern frames which fall across the countryside. The lanterns are banned in Australia and Germany following fires thought
to have been started by stray lanterns, one of which killed a 10-year-old boy. Earlier this week the National Farmers' Union issued a warning about the risks, saying it had received numerous reports of harm or even death to livestock, from ingesting metal wires. But today the organisation rejected the Commission's answer to the dangers to cattle.

It came in a written response to Tory MEP Julie Girling, who wanted to know what the Commission was doing to increase awareness of the
problems, or to encourage member states to consider a ban on their use. In his reply, EU Health and Consumer Policy Commissioner John Dalli said information about the risk to people had been exchanged between all EU member states through an EU "rapid alert" system.

There had been extensive EU discussions on the issue organised by the Commission with a "Consumer safety network as recently as last October 15.

On livestock, he said: "Sky lanterns abandoned on farm lands can potentially cause damage to livestock in particular if their frame is made of metal and they are ingested. "However, this is not specific to 'sky lanterns' but to all pieces of metal and other foreign bodies left on farm grounds, for which preventive measures such as checking regularly the grounds, or inserting magnets in cattle stomachs can be taken."

Mrs Girling commented: "Chinese lanterns are very pretty but they are also a dangerous menace. "We are talking about a completely uncontrollable floating flame which can land anywhere - in somebody's hedge, on a thatched roof or in a field of hay.

"I would like to see a Europe-wide review of these lanterns so that the possibility of a ban is seriously considered by the UK government. The suggestion from the Commission that cows should have magnets fitted in their stomachs is absolutely ridiculous. Farmers have enough problems to contend with without a plague of fire and wire falling from the sky."

The MEP added: "I urge people to think about the potential consequences if they intend to let off these lanterns to celebrate Chinese New Year this Thursday: do we need to wait for a person to be killed in the UK before we act?"

An NFU spokesman said the practice of putting magnets in one of a cow's stomachs - to attract the metal and separate it out from ingested food - was better known in America than in the EU. He added: "This isn't a solution the NFU considers or advises to members."

ENVIRONMENT Lanterns EU
Feb 2, 2011 6:01:17 PM
By Geoff Meade, Press Association Europe Editor in Brussels

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