Two Animal Rising supporters were sentenced yesterday (18/02/25) after taking part in Animal Rising’s “Stop the Supply” campaign in September 2022 that blockaded Müller’s site in Droitwich [1] [2].
After a trial, both were found guilty of conspiracy to commit criminal damage, while Ben Pattison, 31, of Sunderland, was also found guilty for public nuisance, and was sentenced to 200 hours of community service and ordered to pay a £1,500 fine. Kat Chan, 23, of Glasgow, was also found guilty of having an article with intent to destroy or damage property and was sentenced to 250 hours of community service along with being ordered to pay a £1,500 fine.
Their actions were part of a week-long series of actions that targeted dairy giants Müller, Arla, and Freshways dairy facilities that immobilized dairy trucks and led to milk shortages across the nation [3] [4].
Campaigners cited the degrading impact of animal farming on the climate, as well as the inhumane treatment of cows in the dairy industry as justification for their actions.
Supporters took action in 2022 to highlight the dairy industry and animal agriculture’s contribution to the ongoing climate and ecological crises. They were advocating for a plant-based food system in order to create a kind and sustainable future for both human and animal life.
Ben Pattison, a painter and decorator, and one of those sentenced today, said:
“We took action on behalf of suffering cows in the dairy industry and for the climate, because both are being devastated by animal agriculture.
Since the start of the year, we’ve seen deadly wildfires burning in California and flooding from storms in the UK, due in part to animal agriculture’s massive environmental influence. It’s imperative that we do everything we can to reverse the effects of the climate crisis. A plant-based food system is the only way forward for a sustainable and secure future for both human and animal life.”
A 2018 study from the University of Oxford revealed that 76% of global farmland could be freed-up by a transition to a plant-based food system [5]. This land could then be rewilded for mass carbon drawdown.
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:
[1] https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/clyv9jqj9wgo#:~:text=At%20Worcester%20Crown%20Court%20on%20Thursday%2C%20Ben%20Pattison%2C,guilty%20of%20intentionally%20or%20recklessly%20causing%20a%20public
[4] https://www.animalrising.org/post/update-arla-says-milk-shortages-in-supermarkets-are-inevitable