Four Animal Rising supporters were handed community orders and fines at Worcester Crown Court today, after being found guilty of “conspiracy to commit criminal damage” and “public nuisance” following a three-week trial in December.
Four campaigners received community orders totalling 60 months, unpaid work totalling 780 hours, and fines totalling £2800 today [07/02/25], with an additional victim surcharge of £140 each. Each of them were ordered to perform between 240 and 120 hours of community service. Two others found guilty following the trial in December will be sentenced at a later date.
One defendant was sentenced separately on 27/01/25 to an 18-month community order of 620 hours community service. [1]
The campaigners were found guilty at Worcester Crown Court on 19/12/24 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] [3].
All defendants were convicted of public nuisance and conspiracy to commit criminal damage, and two were additionally found guilty of having an article with intent to destroy or damage property.
The protest was part of a week of nationwide Animal Rising protests which saw dairy trucks immobilised and milk shortages on supermarket shelves [4] [5].
Sarah McCaffrey, 21, one of the defendants, commented following the verdict in December:
“Animal farming is a leading cause of deforestation, habitat loss, biodiversity loss, ocean dead zones, water pollution, emissions, and is responsible for over a billion animals being slaughtered every year within the UK. We protested at dairy distribution centres across the UK because of the direct link between dairy and the climate crisis.
“I was part of this campaign because we need systemic change; we need governments to implement systems and structures in order to protect our future.”
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 [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:
[5] https://www.animalrising.org/post/update-arla-says-milk-shortages-in-supermarkets-are-inevitable