Yesterday at around 20:00, 3 women entered the grounds of Appleton Farm on royal land and rescued 3 lambs. It is expected that shortly these lambs would’ve been sent for slaughter [1].
This morning at 8:00, after it was confirmed the sheep were safe, the women handed themselves into police at Windsor, holding placards with photos of the animals on them and slogans including “I rescued the King’s Sheep” and “This is how we love animals”.
Animal Rising says this action was taken to continue the national conversation about our broken relationship with other animals and nature that began in April when the group disrupted the Grand National at Aintree.
Supporters of Animal Rising have rescued 3 sheep from the royal’s Norfolk estate in what marks the first of the group’s high-profile “open rescues” this summer [2]. The lambs named Sammy, Sunny, and Sooty have been taken to safety - away from the harms of animal farming.
Sarah Foy, 23, one of the women said:
“Like anyone, animals want to live out their lives safely and without being used or exploited. Sadly that is not the case here at Sandringham, or anywhere they are used in our food system. That is exactly why we rescued 3 sheep today - three beautiful lambs who’ll now live their lives to the fullest. We urgently need a national conversation about our relationship with other animals and nature.
The Royal Family could be leading the way in this; they own land around twice the size of Greater London. It would be an incredible statement for them to fully commit to the transition to a safe, secure, plant-based food system and a rewilding programme. Mending our connection to animals is vital in tackling the climate and nature crises.”
The action comes after just this week The Guardian released an article suggesting Prince William, alongside his father, was proving to be a poor custodian of Dartmoor land because of land degradation due to animal grazing [3]. Around 16% of UK land is dedicated purely to sheep grazing, whilst providing less than 1% of dietary calories. Furthermore, only 12% of UK land is forest [4].
In 2018, comprehensive research from the University of Oxford showed that 76% of the land currently used for food production would be freed-up by a global transition to plant-based production [5]. This land could be rewilded and begin carbon drawdown, mitigating the worst impacts of climate breakdown. A 2019 Harvard University report on UK farmland and food production from Helen Harwatt and Matthew N. Hayek also concluded that the UK would be carbon-negative if it completely transitioned to a plant-based food system [6].
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.
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Notes To The Editor:
[1] https://www.sandringhamestate.co.uk/about-us/farming - "Sandringham Farms produces organic, 100% grass fed lamb for the Restaurant and Café, local butchers and a premium retailer from July until March each year."
[2] Open Rescue is a means of rescuing animals from suffering and captivity inside laboratories, breeding facilities and industrial farms that does not hide the identity of the rescuing humans, who will hand themselves in to the police once the animals have been taken to safety. It was introduced as a tactic by Animals Victoria in Australia to show nonviolence and transparent tactics by those taking action for animals.
[4] https://www.thealternative.org.uk/dailyalternative/2022/1/31/animal-agriculture-crowding-out-solar