Sale of Fireworks Debate
Full Debate: Read Full DebateDepartment: Department for Business and Trade
Neil Hudson
Main Page: Neil Hudson (Conservative - Epping Forest)Department Debates - View all Neil Hudson's debates with the Department for Business and Trade
(1 day, 13 hours ago)
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Robbie Moore
For a moment there, I thought there were some defections to the Conservative party coming across—we can live in hope.
In Riddlesden just before Christmas, fireworks led to the tragic death of a family’s foal, known as King. I know we cannot use images in the debate, but I have an image of King on my desk. It is believed that King, terrified by fireworks, bolted in the night. He was found by local farmer Hannah the next morning, impaled on a piece of farm machinery. Hannah said:
“We had to lift the machinery off him and drag him out, but he sadly died from his injuries. It was just awful, like something out of a horror film.”
Let that be a message to anyone who still says that fireworks are merely a matter of harmless fun—they are not.
Dr Neil Hudson (Epping Forest) (Con)
My hon. Friend is making a powerful statement about the impact on animals. I thank the petitioners in Epping Forest who have signed the petition, including the Redwings Horse Sanctuary, which triggered this debate and has its Ada Cole stables in my constituency. As a veterinary surgeon, sadly I have seen at first hand the impact of fireworks: small animals go missing and get injured, and farm animal livestock and horses receive horrific injuries. Does my hon. Friend agree that something has to be done to keep people and animals safe from fireworks?
Robbie Moore
My hon. Friend makes an excellent point. This issue is about the negative impact on animal welfare—our pets and farm animals—but also the human impacts, which I will come on to.