Chinese Lanterns - Letter to the NPA

You may have read media reports nationally and locally of the dangers associated with “Chinese” lanterns and the campaign being led by the National Farmers Union to inform the public of these dangers, whilst pressing the Government for a ban on their sale.
The New Forest Equestrian Association (NFEA) is very concerned at the particular risks that these present within the New Forest, as it is increasingly common to find the remnants of these around fields and outbuildings, and on the open Forest. The combination of fire risks when alight, and the entrapment and ingestion risks from their frames once burnt out makes these a particularly frightening phenomenon in the countryside. The NFEA has worked with others locally to raise awareness of the dangers that these present to property and livestock, alongside the NFU, and with the support of Hampshire Fire & Rescue, the Forestry Commission, and the NPA’s Equine Forum.
It would be very helpful indeed if the NPA itself could use its resources to raise local awareness of the risks from flying lanterns within the National Park, to actively discourage their use, and perhaps offer support to NFU lobbying on the matter. If it would help with your discussions I, or someone else involved in the topic, would be very happy indeed to come and talk to the NPA members.

Commercial Cycle Events

The New Forest Equestrian Association (NFEA) has contacted the company behind the new rash of commercial cycling events to express its serious safety concerns. Following publication of the routes for events that are expected to draw around 1700 cyclists to the Forest over some weekends the NFEA Chairman, Tony Hockley, has highlighted the organisers’ failure to cover risks associated with ridden horses in their formal risk assessments. The NFEA noted that the selected routes pass the gateways of a number of livery yards and riding centres, so that no amount of route publicity can prevent potentially dangerous conflicts. Mr Hockley has argued that the organisers must provide marshals at such points as well as at major road crossings in order to mitigate the risks to all concerned.”

Chinese Lanterns

A range of New Forest organisations have joined forces to back the National Farmers Union (NFU) call for people to ‘choose pumpkin lanterns not Chinese lanterns’ for their Halloween and Bonfire Night celebrations.
Hampshire Fire & Rescue, the Forestry Commission, The New Forest Equestrian Association, and the New Forest Equine Forum are once again warning the public of the dangers of flying lanterns in the New Forest.
Tony Hockley from the New Forest Equestrian Association (NFEA) said: NFU evidence highlights the serious dangers to livestock, crops and property from flying lanterns. These dangers are particularly high after the dry Autumn in the New Forest area, and with hay now stacked ready for winter. Even after a
lantern’s flame has died, the remains littered in fields or on the Forest can easily go unnoticed for a very long time, and present a major hazard.

The following is the New Forest Equestrian Association’s response to the
New Forest National Park Authority’s Consultation Draft Guidelines for Horse-Related Development - Supplementary Planning Document

The New Forest Equestrian Association was created in 1993 as the independent voice of horse riders and owners in the New Forest, representing all those who enjoy riding in the New Forest. It is funded entirely by its members’ subscriptions and individual donations, and is run by an elected committee. We are pleased to have the opportunity to comment on the draft planning guidelines related to horse-related development.

As we have argued previously, any Guidance needs to be applied with considerable flexibility. The draft Guidance, for example, seems to display a presumption that all horses and ponies can safely be left to graze in undivided fields of 0.5ha or more, when this is clearly not the case, and the needs of the animal must take precedence free of any arbitrary division between agricultural and recreational land use. In the draft Guidance the NPA is once again understating the value of equestrian activity to the New Forest. For example, Para 3.2 states that: “When it is done well, horse keeping can make a positive contribution to the management of the New Forest and assist farmers and commoners seeking to diversify their activities”. We would argue not only that horse keeping, done well, does make such a positive contribution, and also that it is not a “diversification” of commoning, but an intrinsic part of successful commoning. Many of our members are also active commoners, with little distinction between the two activities. The broader importance of promoting equestrian activities in farm diversification is recognised in national policy in both the 2004 Planning Policy Statement 7 and the 2005 Strategy for the Horse Industry.

We are particularly concerned that the section of the draft Guidelines relating to manèges (6.14-6.16) does not address the excessive conditions routinely placed on new manèges in the New Forest. At present, a condition is used that a manège “shall be used only for the exercising of horses belonging to or under the control of the owner of the land”. This goes far beyond what would be necessary to prevent commercial use of a manège. It is also in direct conflict with policies to limit the impact of riding on the Open Forest (NPA Core Strategy 8.45), as it prevents a manège being shared when ground conditions are poor, and may lead to a proliferation of such facilities given the inability to use those that already exist. Commercial use is very easy to identify, and this condition should be revised and a new flexibility incorporated into the Guidelines.

NFEA AGM 11th April
The New Forest Equestrian Association's Annual General Meeting will be held on Monday 11 April 2011 at Lyndhurst Community Centre at 8.00 pm. Guest speaker this year will be Dr Julian Lewis MP. All members and friends welcome. The NFEA Committee looks forward to seeing you there.

Annual Subscriptions
Reminder to all NFEA members - annual subscriptions are due 1 February. - Newsletters are on their way.

Think Twice on Flying Lanterns

New Forest Commoners and horse-owners join groups warning of high risks to the New Forest

A Joint Statement from the New Forest Commoners Defence Association, Forestry Commission, Hampshire Fire & Rescue Service, National Farmers Union, and the New Forest Equestrian Association

The Forestry Commission, Hampshire Fire & Rescue Service, and the National Farmers Union (NFU) have already warned over the risks from flying lanterns. Now the New Forest Equestrian Association (NFEA) and the Commoners Defence Association are adding their voices to call for people to be particularly alert to the dangers in the New Forest. The organisations are now issuing a joint warning.
Fiona Macdonald, Chairman of the NFEA said: “The risks within the New Forest area are particularly high, because there are so many typical smallholdings, with hay barns and timber and thatch outbuildings, close to New Forest towns and villages”
Graham Ferris from the CDA added: “The wire remains of these lanterns are now turning up on the open Forest. This puts commoners’ livestock at serious risk, needlessly adding to the risks that they already face”.

It is these risks, and the fact that lanterns have already killed livestock elsewhere, that led the NFU to call recently for a complete ban on flying lanterns, and the Forestry Commission to raise a local alert,
A spokesperson from the Forestry Commission said; “Chinese-style flying lanterns are obviously very attractive and becoming ever popular. However, the risk to heathland habitats in an area like the New Forest is extremely high as they can land or catch on something while still burning.. The current extreme dry weather accentuates this risk.”

As a result of these fears they have asked local tourism businesses to alert their visitors to the dangers. The warning from the organisations is clear: “We would urge people to think twice before setting lanterns off in the New Forest. The risks are simply too high a price to pay”.

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