Climate activists are calling for an end to dairy in Aylesbury
They set up outside Arla in the early hours of this morning.
In the early hours of this morning, protestors occupied the distribution centre of Arla Foods in Buckighamshire.
Arla are one of the largest manufacturers of dairy in the world providing 10% of the milk supply for the UK.
A large group of activists from Animal Rebellion have locked themselves onto bamboo structures and concrete barricades.
They're are calling on Arla to transition to plant-based production by 2025 to address the catastrophic impacts dairy production has on the climate and animals.
Protestors have stated they plan to continue blockading the factory until Arla makes a commitment to end dairy production and fund a just transition for its workers.
James Ozden, a spokesperson for Animal Rebellion, said about the blockade: “The recent IPCC report issued a code red warning on the impacts of the climate crisis. It spoke of a need for urgent action from our government to address carbon emissions, including methane which is in large part a by product of animal farming. Companies like Arla claim to be leading the way in tackling the climate crisis, yet until these big multinationals start to talk seriously about the inevitable need to transition our food system to one that is plant-based, their words are empty.”
In a statement, Arla told us:
As a cooperative owned by farmers we are committed to producing dairy for the UK in the most sustainable way possible. We already make raw milk with around half the average emissions of dairy globally and intend to be carbon net zero by 2050. We are working with the police to limit the impact of this demonstration to both our customers and those living locally to the site. We have managed to complete our morning shift change over and all colleagues are safe, however, access to the site for our larger vehicles is being blocked. We are working to manage the impact of this