Farmers are becoming increasingly concerned at the continued use of sky lanterns which are popular at parties and weddings.

The lanterns also known as Chinese lanterns, which incorporate a type of paper canopy fixed in placed with either wire or bamboo canes and sent airborne by a small reservoir of oil which fuels a flame could be a potential hazard on many farms as one farmer found out.

Maureen Crudden from Derryadd, Lisnaskea, discovered the remains of a lantern just yards from her shed where bales of hay were stored and close to a beef house where cattle were feeding on bales of hay.

“It landed not too far off the hay,” explained Maureen, who added her husband, Kevin was the first to notice it.

“Kevin was in the yard just after 7am on a Sunday morning and it was still dark. It was like a white paper bag lying in the yard and looked like a parachute attached. It seems to have burned out on the street. Another couple of yards it would have got into the hay and the cattle.

When she considered the potential for disaster, she revealed two thatched houses were located just within a quarter of a mile away. If it had landed on them it could have burned the houses, she said.

As most of the lanterns fall in fields, they are not easily discovered and the wire can be caught up in silage or even grazed by animals.

While Maureen reflected on the risk of fire from the burning lantern, others in the agricultural industry are concerned about potential cause of injury of materials used in the manufacture of the lanterns.

UFU President Ian Marshall said: “The UFU is aware that sky lanterns are gaining popularity in Northern Ireland, however, I am urging people to consider the consequences before using them. The burnt out remains from the lanterns often fall into farmers’ fields, littering them and potentially hurting livestock. So not only are the sky lanterns damaging to the environment there is the possibility that livestock will eat the metal wire frames, which will then pierce their internal organs and cause life threatening damage.

“People may think that buying a biodegradable eco-friendly lantern is OK but even these lanterns pose a serious risk to livestock. The bamboo frames of these lanterns can be chopped up during the silage and hay making period and may be ingested by livestock at a later date causing serious internal damage to the animal.

“We don’t want to spoil people’s fun but we would like them to think about these serious consequences before releasing sky lanterns,” he said.

The National Farmers’ Union in England has called for a ban as they say the devices posed a serious risk to animals whenever thery land in fields.

Warnings were sounded after a cow died from eating a piece of lantern’s wire frame, rupturing the stomach. Another lantern caused the death of a foal after it injured itself on a fence because it had been scared by one of the low-flying lanterns.

Arable farmers are concerned about fires in both standing crops of hay and straw as well as rows of straw or bales after combining.

A spokesman stated: “They are clearly very dangerous to livestock and pose a fire risk and we are raising our concerns with the Government. We want people to carefully consider the potential consequences before letting them off.” While the manufacturers are encouraging a shift from metal to fire retardent string, the agricultural industry believe this does not get rid of the fire risk.

The industry however does provide safety instructions for their use, setting out guidelines which include advice that they should only be used in open spaces.

One of the UK’s manufacturers issued a 10-point safety check before launching Sky Lanterns. They are; 1, Ensure that there is no or very light winds when launching Sky Lanterns.

2, Only launch Sky Lanterns in a large clear space away from trees, powerlines and buildings. Do not use Sky Lanterns within five miles of an airport.

3, If there are light winds, ensure that when launching your sky lanterns their flight path is free of buildings, trees, airports, roads or any area they may pose a danger.

4, Ensure that all spectators stand upwind of the people launching the Sky Lanterns.

5, It is advisable to have a bucket of water or sand close by in case of emergency.

6, Sky Lanterns are not a toy. Sky Lanterns should only be launched by a responsible adult.

7, Do not use during prolonged periods of dry weather.

8, Do not launch torn or damaged Sky Lanterns.

9, Do not launch Sky Lanterns in areas were the glow could be misinterpreted as a distress signal.

10, Read all safety instructions (supplied with each order) carefully before launching your Sky Lanterns.