Eastern Townships farmer calls for alternatives after cows spooked by fireworks festival

A farmer in Quebec's Eastern Townships says weekend fireworks spooked his herd of cattle.

The Lac de Nations festival includes five nights of fireworks, including a loud display late Saturday night that was heard several kilometres away.

Sunday morning, farmer Karl Butler told Noovo Info he discovered many cows from his herd had knocked down fences and were wandering on roads in Lennoxville.

He said it's time for officials to recognize the harmful effects of fireworks on domestic animals and wildlife.

"It's not normal to do this. What's normal is for peace and quiet as much as possible and I guess my question to them is, is there something when it starts to affect people and their business? Is there something we can do to change it or to stop it or to reduce it?" he said.

Municipal councillor Hélène Dauphinais said she "sympathizes with the farmer and thinks that a good compromise would be to limit the number of decibels produced during fireworks displays," pointing out the fireworks often make the windows of her home shake.