Holy cow! Milk shortage fears amid eco mob siege
FEARS of a milk shortage have been triggered after vegan protesters blockaded some of the UK’s biggest dairy processors yesterday.
Animal Rebellion arrived at dawn at Arla and Muller plants to block shipments of milk and other dairy products.
The vegan protest group, who oppose animal farming, stopped company trucks before climbing on to them, as others trespassed company facilities, scaling milk silos and loading bays. The blockade included the UK’s biggest dairy distribution centre near Aylesbury, Buckinghamshire, which is owned by Arla, plus three plants run by Muller, at Droitwich, Severnside, and Bridgwater.
The protest group, an off-shoot of Extinction Rebellion, admits defying a High Court injunction recently obtained by Arla to stop the protests. It said its supporters will continue to take non-violent direct action until the Government supports moves away from animal farming and fishing with a transition to a plant-based system.
The injunction sought by Arla to stop the protests warned that if the action lasts for two weeks ‘it is inevitable there will be milk shortages on supermarket shelves’.
Yesterday Arla said production is currently running as normal, adding: ‘We have protesters at our Aylesbury site and are working closely with local police to resolve the situation.’ And Muller UK & Ireland added: ‘ We are disappointed to be targeted by a small number of activists who don’t represent the 96 per cent of adults in Britain who choose milk every week, and we will ensure supplies are maintained.
‘Dairy is affordable and packed with nutrients that benefit our bodies. During a cost of living crisis it is wrong to try to prevent it from reaching families.’
Steve Bone, a photographer from Thorpe-le-Soken in Essex who occupied a milk silo at the Aylesbury plant, said: ‘I am defying a High Court injunction and risking prison to send a message to the UK Government that we need a plant-based future to restore the British countryside and all the wonderful nature lost to animal farming.’