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Animal Rising Found Guilty in Dairy Blockade Trial

Four Animal Rising campaigners were today found guilty of public nuisance at Worcester Crown Court. This concludes the fourth of six trials regarding actions targeting the dairy giant Müller by Animal Rising in 2022, raising awareness of the climate crisis. **


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  • The four campaigners were found guilty of public nuisance today (01/04/25) after climbing atop Müller milk tankers. The defendants did not deny the charges, but argued their actions were justified by the seriousness of the environmental impact of dairy production, and the suffering of animals within the industry.

  • The trial, which commenced at Worcester Crown Court on 20/03/24, follows Animal Rising’s “Stop the Supply” Dairy Campaign in September 2022, in which Müller’s Droitwich site was blockaded by protestors [1]. 

  • This was part of a succession of nationwide actions taken by Animal Rising in September and October 2022, which saw dairy trucks immobilised, milk shortages on supermarket shelves, milk pours at department stores and more [2].

  • Defendants were sentenced to 640 hours of community service and ordered to pay £3,200 in costs. Two defendants were sentenced to 180 hours of community service and ordered to pay £500, while another was sentenced to 140 hours of community service and £1,000, and the last was sentenced to 140 hours of community service while being ordered to pay £1,200 in costs.


Campaigners took action in 2022 to highlight animal agriculture’s contribution to the ongoing climate and ecological crises, advocating for a plant-based food system to create a fair and sustainable future.


Ben Newman, spokesperson for Animal Rising, commented:


“Those who took part in our peaceful campaign against dairy giants didn’t do so lightly. They felt compelled to take action because of the environmental destruction and animal suffering caused by this outdated, harmful system.”

A 2023 study by Oxford University, backed up other previous studies, showed that a plant-based diet has the lowest impact on the environment in all areas analysed, including emissions, land-use, water-use and biodiversity loss [3].

Call or email our press office +44 1225 29 6691 / press@animalrising.org for comment or further information.

Animal Rising is a social movement to create a new relationship with all beings and give us a chance for a safe ecological future. The group primarily calls for the transition to a secure and sustainable plant-based food system, alongside a mass rewilding programme.

ENDS

Word count: 328

High-Quality Pictures and Videos: https://show.pics.io/animal-rising-breaking-news All images and videos in this file, on our social media, and website can be used with credit to Animal Rising under ‘fair use’ for the purposes of reporting.

For more information or further comments, please contact:

Emma (Press Back Office)  +44 1225 29 6691

press@animalrising.org Notes to the Editor:


** A previous version of this press release contained an error. The four defendants were convicted of public nuisance, not aggravated trespass as previously stated.


[2] Coverage of milk supply disruption: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-62786203

[3] Study of environmental impact of diets: https://www.nature.com/articles/s43016-023-00795-w





 
 
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