Firework laws must be tightened to protect animal welfare, charity says

An animal welfare charity has written to the community safety minister calling for tighter restrictions on fireworks.

OneKind has reached out to Kirsten Oswald MSP ahead of bonfire night, stating animals across Scotland face being traumatised or injured as a result of the fireworks.

The charity has argued that the Scottish Government’s Fireworks and Pyrotechnic Articles (Scotland) Act 2022 has not enacted restrictions on when fireworks can be bought and used, and that new training and licensing requirements have fallen short of the mark.

OneKind chief executive Jason Rose said: “Scotland got a new law in 2022 aiming to limit the harms fireworks can cause to people and animals.

“Yet, four years later, two of the key measures in it are not yet in force.

“Creating laws is meaningless unless they are implemented and enforced.

“The public are rightly appalled at the suffering animals must endure during this seasonal free-for-all.

“If we value animals as equals, we must minimise the frightening bangs and flashes they experience.

“Many people are distressed by fireworks, animals even more so.

“Those of us with companion animals can at least make plans to try to comfort and protect them but that only works if we know when and where there will be fireworks going off.”

He added: “The only way to fully protect animals from the intense distress caused by fireworks would be to end their sale entirely – a reserved matter we hope Westminster will legislate on.

“Meantime we should act with the powers we have in Scotland.

“At the very least, the law Holyrood passed four years ago must be fully enacted to reduce suffering now.”

Community safety minister Kirsten Oswald said: “I understand the distress fireworks can cause, especially to animals.

“That is why all local authorities have powers to designate Firework Control Zones, which makes it a criminal offence for a member of the public to ignite fireworks inside the zone.

“This was a major part of the Fireworks and Pyrotechnics Articles (Scotland) Act 2022, the majority of which has been implemented.

“A number of fireworks zones were in place in 2025 and will also be in place this year.”