Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps his Department is reduce the risks of helium balloons and sky lanterns to livestock keepers and the wider agricultural community.

We have been taking forward a series of non-regulatory measures, aimed at minimising the risks associated with sky lanterns and helium balloons and driving up safety standards. These include a voluntary Code of Practice for sky lanterns to ensure that sky lanterns are manufactured to be safe and are sold responsibly. NABAS the National Association of Balloon Artists and Suppliers, (the trade association for the balloon industry), has also published a code of conduct on balloon releases.