Animal Rebellion take over Muller site in Bridgwater
Protesters demand a switch to a plant-based food systems to help curb climate change
Last updated 5th Sep 2022
It’s day two of protests at the Muller Site in Bridgwater Somerset, as well as four other sites across the country.
On Sunday the 4th of September members of protest group, Animal Rebellion were arrested for trespassing onto four major dairy distribution centres demanding the government support farmers and fishing communities to adopt a plant-based food system.
A statement of the Avon and Somerset police website says “We fully respect the fundamental democratic right to protest, but where criminal offences are being committed we’ll always seek to use the powers available to us to take robust action.”
Muller and Arla sites in Droitwich, Severnside, Aylesbury and Bridgwater sites have all be targeted. A statement from Arla, whose sites are in Droitwich and Aylesbury, says the company’s priority is the safety and security of the workers at the sites. They are working alongside local police.
Eight people were arrested at the site in Gloucestershire this morning and a further ten in Bridgwater. Protestors climbed on top of tankers and sat in the road to prevent lorries from accessing the Muller site in Stonehouse. But the protesters social media shows the organisation is not deterred, continuing their demonstrations.
The organisation’s spokesperson, Josh Scothawk, says the demands are simple. They want the government to support farmers and fishing communities in switching to a plant focused food system, and in turn re-wilding the land that is currently used for agriculture, which will absorb carbon from the atmosphere.
“The science is absolutely clear” says Josh Scothawk, “It says we’ve got just 3 to 4 years to act now, or we are not going to make it.”