A Manchester campaigner who took action against dairy giant Müller in 2022 was today handed an 18-month community order and fined in Worcester Crown Court.
Yves Tchapda, 29, of Manchester, had been found guilty of public nuisance and two counts of conspiracy to commit criminal damage at Worcester Crown Court on 19/12/24[1], after taking part in Animal Rising’s “Stop the Supply” Dairy Campaign in September 2022, in which Müller’s Droitwich site was blockaded by protestors [2].
Today (27/01/25), Tchapda was sentenced to an 18-month community order of 620 hours community service. This will be served concurrently, in practice leaving the defendant to perform 220 hours of community service. He was additionally ordered to pay a victim surcharge of £600.
The protest was part of a week of nationwide Animal Rising actions at Müller, Freshways and Arla Foods’ dairy facilities, which saw dairy trucks immobilised and milk shortages on supermarket shelves [3] [4].
Tchapda and his co-defendants had argued the devastating effects of animal agriculture on the climate crisis, and cruelty within the dairy industry, justified their actions.
Last week (22/01/25) the trial of a further seven protestors from the same campaign resulted in a hung jury, with defendants now due to face trial for a second time in 2026 after a jury failed to reach a verdict.
Campaigners took part in Animal Rising’s week of anti-dairy campaigning to generate a public discussion of the dairy industry’s role in the climate emergency. Animal Rising’s stance is that animal agriculture is an unsustainable food system if we are to avoid climate disaster, maintain food security and restore Britain’s depleted biodiversity.
Orla Coghlan, Animal Rising spokesperson, said of the ongoing trials:
“People joined this campaign after seeing the suffering of animals within the dairy industry, and because the impact of animal agriculture on our planet’s health is undeniable. We are reaching the point of no return if we want to avoid a food supply crisis and global devastation.
The climate emergency can only be halted through widespread change - this includes a switch away from animal agriculture to a more sustainable plant-based food system. Repeated studies have shown a move towards plant-based can only benefit our environment - but while this science is ignored, we will continue to take action and draw attention to this crisis.”
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 [5].
Call or email our press office +44 1225 29 6691 / press@animalrising.org for comment and 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.
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Notes to the Editor:
[4] https://www.animalrising.org/post/update-arla-says-milk-shortages-in-supermarkets-are-inevitable