Fireworks have become part and parcel of Halloween night but some farmers reported serious distress caused to animals on Saturday night.

Anecdotal evidence suggests there was an increased level of firework activity this year with more people at home due to Level 5 COIVD-19 restrictions.

For livestock, particularly young stock, and companion animals, such as dogs, firework displays can be unsettling. The running, sweating, and panting experienced by spooked animals can often led to subsequent issues with pneumonia.

Frightened stock

In Tipperary, Anthony Carroll tweeted that when he went to feed his calves on Sunday morning he found them “shaken and frightened” by fireworks.

Speaking to the Irish Farmers Journal, Anthony said: "The calves up to 10 months are on an outside block of ground a couple of miles away from where I live.

"My wife drove around to make sure everything was ok earlier on Saturday night. That was at about 7pm but obviously there was more activity after that.

"This [Sunday] morning all the calves were huddled in the corner of the field but thankfully they’re alright now.

"I’d love to know what the value of all the fireworks was and where whoever they were got their hands on them. It just really maddens me. They were trespassing, they frightened stock, and then they left everything behind them."

In Kildare, IFA deputy president Brian Rushe tweeted that his young stock had been “terrified” by nearby fireworks and ran through wires as a result. Rushe later tweeted that all animals were later located but were found in three separate groups and in a nervous state.

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