UK – Four distribution centers operated by Müller Milk & Ingredients and Arla, which runs the UK’s largest milk factory in Aylesbury in Buckinghamshire, may be the biggest sufferers during this period of intensified protest that is being carried out by supporters of Animal Rebellion.
More than 100 supporters of Animal Rebellion are stopping the supply of fresh milk across large areas of England after the activist group received no response to a letter to Downing Street in August, in which they warned of disruptive action in September unless progress towards their demands was made.
The group said it wanted “wholesale governmental support for farmers and fishing communities to transition to a plant-based food system and program of rewilding that will secure a future for generations to come”.
Members of Animal Rebellion stopped and climbed on company trucks outside four facilities supplying milk to the Midlands and south of England, which together process approximately 2 billion liters of milk annually.
The group added that more protests are planned unless negotiations take place with the government.
Joel Scott-Halkes, from the group, stated: “The goal here is to make a national crisis and stop the supply of dairy to supermarkets.”
“We’re doing this because we want the government to stop pouring billions of pounds of taxpayers’ money into the failing, toxic, and polluting industry that is animal farming that’s driving our planet to the point of collapse.”
In addition, John Appleton, who worked at Arla for six years and is taking part in the protest, commented that he has seen this industry first-hand, and knows the struggle that farmers and workers go through every single day.
He added that they need a food system that works for them, everyone else, and nonhuman animals, and urged government to support this fight to tackle the climate and ecological emergencies.
Meanwhile, a spokesperson for Müller UK and Ireland confirmed the sites targeted were at Droitwich, Severnside, and Bridgwater.
He said the company is disappointed to be targeted by a small number of activists who don’t represent the 96% of adults in Britain who choose milk every week, and it will ensure that supplies are maintained.
The spokesperson noted that dairy is affordable and packed with nutrients that benefit customers’ bodies and during a cost-of-living crisis it is wrong to try to prevent it from reaching families, including vulnerable members of society.
Whereas Arla’s spokesperson pointed out that the company is working closely with local police to resolve the situation.
Furthermore, the safety and security of our colleagues at the site is our number one priority and production is currently running as normal.
The protest comes days after Animal Rebellion campaigners gathered at a Whole Foods store in London, and Marks & Spencer supermarkets in Southampton, Manchester, and Birmingham holding signs that read “Plant-based future” and “Rewild our land” as they tried to stop shoppers from buying milk.
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