Poland’s largest opposition group has proposed a law that would ban the use of most fireworks and firecrackers, in a bid to protect domestic and wild animals.
They hope to introduce the proposed ban before New Year’s Eve, when many individuals buy and set off their own fireworks. In recent years, a growing number of cities have taken measures to ban or limit displays.
According to the draft legislation, proposed by the centrist Civic Coalition (KO), fireworks are particularly harmful to dogs and cats, causing them distress, as well as to people who do not take the noise well. When used near forests, they may also frighten wild animals, thus causing “suffering” and “even loss of health or life”.
“There are cases of animals in the forest that died of fear from the roar of fireworks,” according to the document, which was submitted to parliament this week. Fireworks also often wake hibernating animals, with “serious consequences for their survival during the winter”.
The proposal covers fireworks classified as F2 and F3, which are those often used in small displays and set off by individuals. People violating the ban would be subject to a fine. Non-dangerous pyrotechnic devices such as sparklers fall under the F1 category, and would still be allowed.
Exceptions to the ban would be made for businesses and research units. The proposal also provides for New Year’s Eve celebrations, allowing local councils to pass legislation permitting fireworks to be set off on 31 December or 1 January.
Last night the Polish city of Łódź held a synchronised drone display as an alternative to the traditional New Year's Eve fireworks, which distress animals and damage the environment https://t.co/s1rMIQPjam
— Notes from Poland 🇵🇱 (@notesfrompoland) January 1, 2020
The authors of the bill justify the exemption as seeking to limit the practice of setting off fireworks days before and after New Year’s Eve, which results in a “chaotic cannonade that is difficult to bear”.
“Everyone who has a dog or cat at home knows very well how they react to fireworks and firecrackers,” said Katarzyna Maria Piekarska, one of the KO MPs backing the bill. “I too have pets and for a long time I’ve been spending New Year’s Eve at home, because my dogs go through hell.”
The proposed legislation will “end the suffering of animals”, Piekarska added on Twitter, noting that the three-page document is intentionally short to increase its chances of being adopted before New Year’s.
Koniec z cierpieniem zwierząt związanym z petardami i fajerwerkami – ten projekt złożony przez @KO_Obywatelska znacznie ten proceder ograniczy. Czy zdążymy przed Sylwestrem? @KancelariaSejmu @MarzankaZ @AGozdyra @PATRYKMIS @Anna_Dryjanska @MSWiA_GOV_PL @GrzegorzPuda pic.twitter.com/d3FLNWvw5j
— Katarzyna Maria Piekarska (@MariaKatarzyna) July 20, 2021
In recent years, a number of Polish cities have decided against holding fireworks displays for New Year’s Eve to avoid causing distress to animals and damage to the environment, staging laser shows instead – although residents have still been allowed to set off their own fireworks.
In 2019, a large home-improvement store chain, OBI, announced that it would not be selling fireworks in Poland ahead of New Year’s Eve.
Main image credit: maciej.lysakiewicz/Flickr (under CC BY-NC-ND 2.0)
Maria Wilczek is deputy editor of Notes from Poland. She is a regular writer for The Times, The Economist and Al Jazeera English, and has also featured in Foreign Policy, Politico Europe, The Spectator and Gazeta Wyborcza.
