Scottish Animal Welfare Commission: lower noise fireworks and other alternatives - December 2024 to September 2025

Response from SAWC (1 September 2025)

Dear Minister

Thank you for your letter of 7 July about Fireworks and Firework Control Zones (FCZ).

Members of the Scottish Animal Welfare Commission (SAWC) have now had a discussion with the Chair of the Animal Welfare Committee (AWC), Professor Madeleine Campbell, and this letter represents our shared view.

We agreed that the negative effects of both legal and illegal firework use on pets, farmed animals and wildlife remain significant. We also considered advice that we might jointly offer to support the Scottish Government’s ongoing work to mitigate these problems.

1. Current implementation of the Fireworks and Pyrotechnic Articles (Scotland) Act 2022

Local authorities in Scotland continue to develop their implementation of FCZ under the Fireworks and Pyrotechnic Articles (Scotland) Act 2022. It would be beyond the SAWC remit to recommend specific FCZ in any local authority area. However, we note that the introduction of FCZ does appear to be having a positive effect. For example, a report to the City of Edinburgh Council Culture and Communities Committee in February this year described FCZ as “an effective tool to support limitations on the sale of fireworks and therefore a reduction in the use of fireworks during periods of antisocial behaviour and disorder.”

The report detailed outcomes including a decrease in the number of traders selling fireworks and a reduction in the noise levels and stress for animals in the care of the Scottish SPCA within the Balerno FCZ. It was encouraging to see the extent of community support for diversionary activities for young people in Edinburgh around the fireworks season. It was also positive that some organised public fireworks displays around the city, such as events at Currie and Myreside, included lower noise fireworks.

2. Lower noise fireworks 

This leads on to the point I have previously made about encouraging the use of lower noise fireworks (as well as other alternatives to traditional fireworks, such as drones) in organised displays as well as private use. The noise and environmental disturbance that affect animals are not only due to illegal misuse of fireworks but are intrinsic to their use in any setting. Providing law-abiding citizens with options that offer a level of enjoyment and celebration, without harming animals, is a constructive way forward and SAWC hopes to see greater promotion of these alternatives.

There appears to be growing support among industry providers for lower noise fireworks. One provider states on its website:

“Low noise fireworks offer an alternative that balances the excitement of fireworks with a more considerate approach to noise levels. As awareness of noise pollution increases, particularly concerning wildlife, pets, and people with sensitivities, the popularity of low noise fireworks is likely to continue growing. They provide a way to enjoy the beauty of fireworks while reducing the negative impacts often associated with traditional displays.”

We understand that you have engaged with the firework industry on the subject of lower noise fireworks and we hope that this has been fruitful. SAWC and AWC would be pleased to provide materials and advice to support these discussions, if required.

3. Licensing of firework use

The timeframe for implementation of Part 2 of the Fireworks and Pyrotechnic Articles (Scotland) Act 2022, including the licensing requirement, has been extended to 2026. While SAWC and AWC appreciate the financial and practical demands of setting up a new licensing system, the effect of this delay is to hamper delivery of the aims of the legislation and prolong the period of unacceptable risk to animal welfare.

In our view, the proposed training requirement allied to licence applications has considerable potential to change public behaviour and attitudes to firework use. Training courses cannot be offered until the provisions are implemented, because the Act requires a course to be completed not more than three months before the licence application is made. We wonder, therefore, if it would be possible for the Scottish Ministers, as the licensing authority, to start issuing relevant materials and guidance in advance of the formal implementation. Such guidance could emphasise the benefits of lower noise fireworks and alternatives such as drones, as part of appropriate use.

We also recommend early implementation of the provisions in the Act restricting the days on which fireworks can be supplied and used.

4. Westminster Fireworks Bill

Regulating the supply of loud fireworks and reducing illicit online sales will be indispensable to mitigating the public safety and animal welfare issues around fireworks.

Since these are reserved matters, we refer to the Fireworks Bill currently at an early stage of consideration in the UK Parliament, and to which you alluded in your answer to Written Question S6W-38876 on 27 June. The Bill, lodged by Sarah Owen MP, seeks to confine the sale of “high noise” category F2 fireworks, category F3 fireworks and category F4 fireworks to professional organisers or operators of firework displays, and to businesses involved in the supply or transport of fireworks. Effectively, this would prohibit the sale of these categories of fireworks to the public, meaning that only lower noise fireworks would be generally available.

The Bill also requires the UK government to commission an independent review of the online sale of fireworks, to consider whether existing provisions for regulating online sales and enforcing the law are sufficient, and whether there is a need for specific regulation of the sale of fireworks on social media.

SAWC believes that the provisions of the Bill, which extend to Scotland, offer a focused and practical approach to limiting the supply of the most harmful fireworks and should be supported.

5. Summary

In summary, SAWC and AWC recognise that the Fireworks and Pyrotechnic Articles (Scotland) Act 2022 is having a positive effect on enforcement and addressing illegal firework use in the community. Organisers of public displays and providers of fireworks for events are aware of the greater acceptability of lower noise fireworks. Even so, the legal use of fireworks by individuals and in organised displays continues to produce a level of noise that is harmful and frightening for animals.

The full benefits of the legislation cannot be realised until the Act is fully implemented.

We recommend:

• continued public education about lower noise fireworks and other alternatives, while encouraging the industry to provide and promote these
• introduction of the licensing and training provisions of the 2022 Act, with consideration being given to providing training materials as soon as possible
• introduction of the provisions restricting the periods of sale and use of fireworks
• support for the Fireworks Bill currently in process at Westminster

I hope these comments are useful and I look forward to further engagement with you and your officials.

Yours sincerely

Professor Cathy Dwyer
Chair

Scottish Animal Welfare Commission