• At approximately 11:45 this morning, 4 individuals blocked road access to the Queen Elizabeth II Centre to prevent MPs from arriving for the announcement.
• They are calling on the new Prime Minister, Liz Truss or Rishi Sunak, to immediately commit to their demands to support farmers in transitioning to a plant-based food system and a rewilding programme.
• This comes after multiple days of nonviolent direct action at dairy facilities across the South and Midlands [1].

Ahead of the announcement of the new Prime Minister, several people blocked the road leading to the Queen Elizabeth II conference centre where Tory MPs will hear who their next leader will be. The action comes a day after Animal Rebellion began disruption at 4 key dairy distribution sites in the Midlands and South.

Ella Barrow, one of those taking action in London today, said: “This Tory leadership contest has been a grotesque display of precisely why we need complete political change and transformation towards a system that cares for all life. Regardless of who is announced as Prime Minister, we urgently need action on the climate and ecological emergencies. We need our government to adopt the twin solution of supporting farmers in transitioning to a plant-based food system, with a mass-rewilding programme on the land no longer required for inefficient animal farming. This would draw down huge amounts of carbon from the atmosphere, whilst restoring the beautiful British countryside we all desire.”

Animal Rebellion has stated that its supporters will continue to take nonviolent direct action until the British Government enters negotiations for its two demands:

1. Government supports farmers and fishing communities to move away from animal farming and fishing as part of an urgent and immediate transition to a plant-based food system.

2. Government commits to rewild the freed-up land and ocean as part of a broader programme of wildlife restoration and carbon drawdown.

Alex Giles, who is also taking action today, said: “Whilst Liz Truss and Rishi Sunak have spent the last few months playing a popularity contest, millions of people across the UK have struggled to put food on their tables and pay their energy bills. We do not need a people-pleaser, we need a leader with the courage and boldness to lead us out of the cost-of-living, climate, and ecological crises and into a plant-based future. We know that the UK could feed its population more than 2 times over with a plant-based food system. This would not only lower the cost of food but also directly combat climate breakdown by absorbing harmful greenhouse gasses from the atmosphere. Liz and Rishi, the world is watching what you do next.”

The action today comes as part of Animal Rebellion’s demands for a plant-based future, which were announced on Monday 23rd of May [2]. The animal and climate group is calling for wholesale governmental support for farmers and fishing communities to transition to a plant-based food system and programme of rewilding that will secure a future for generations to come.

Animal Rebellion is a mass movement using nonviolent civil disobedience to call for a just, sustainable plant-based food system.

ENDS

Word Count: 534

High-quality pictures and videos: ,https://show.pics.io/plant-based-future

For interviews or further comment please contact:

Nathan (Press Back Office): 07466114387

Jax (Press Back Office): 07424947798

pressoffice@animalrebellion.org

Notes To Editors:

[1] ,https://pbf.animalrebellion.org/post/milk-supply-to-midlands-and-south-of-england-cut-off and ,https://pbf.animalrebellion.org/post/update-arla-says-milk-shortages-in-supermarkets-are-inevitable and ,https://pbf.animalrebellion.org/post/3-of-the-uk-s-key-dairy-distribution-facilities-severely-disabled

[2]: ,https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qOq2Jqqga9E&t=5s

UPDATE: 14:55 5/9/22

• Around 00:00 on 5/9/22, 15 supporters of Animal Rebellion trespassed into Arla Aylesbury, breaking a High Court injunction, and significantly disrupting the site’s processing and distribution capacities.
• Hours later at around 3 am other individuals entered Müller facilities at Droitwich and Bridgwater, at Droitwich actions were also taken to immobilise trucks [1].
• The actions involved drilling through truck tyres to immobilise them whilst on the morning of 4/9/22, the inlet and outlet hoses at Müller Droitwich were disabled by filling them with expanding foam.

For the second time in 24 hours, Animal Rebellion supporters have trespassed onto critical dairy distribution facilities. The nonviolent actions taken by Animal Rebellion on both the morning of the 4th, as well as in the early hours of this morning, were intended to seriously disable the ability of the facilities to process and distribute milk.

Theresa Higginson, 24, a retail worker from Biggleswade, one of those at Aylesbury, said: “What you have seen today are actions taken out of love for, and a need to protect, all life. Every individual here is united by a common goal, a better and more just world. I stand by all of our actions. We have no alternative. The government had the chance to respond but failed to do so. We have had a leadership contest where the climate crisis has barely had a mention. And we have massive corporations that are able to operate with impunity despite the cost of their businesses on the planet. This Tory leadership election has exposed the need for massive political change, and that starts with the immediate transition to a plant-based food system that supports British farmers into a plant-based future.”

Today’s action is an escalation in Animal Rebellion’s campaign, which the group has stated will continue until the British Government enters negotiations for its two demands [2]:

1. Government supports farmers and fishing communities to move away from animal farming and fishing as part of an urgent and immediate transition to a plant-based food system.

2. Government commits to rewild the freed-up land and ocean as part of a broader programme of wildlife restoration and carbon drawdown.

Rachel Steele, 46, a graphic designer from Blackpool, one of those involved at Aylesbury, said “I came here not because I wanted to cause damage but because I am terrified about the future of the planet and all its inhabitants – human and non-human. We need a political system built on love and compassion. We need massive, fair and rapid system change. We cannot allow the government to greenwash and pretend that they can carry on business as usual, while the planet suffers ever more devastation, causing death and misery to millions. The only way to avert this is by massive governmental support for farmers to transition to a plant-based food system”

The action today comes as part of Animal Rebellion’s demands for a plant-based future, which were announced on Monday 23rd of May [2]. The animal and climate group is calling for wholesale governmental support for farmers and fishing communities to transition to a plant-based food system and programme of rewilding that will secure a future for generations to come.

Animal Rebellion is a mass movement using nonviolent civil disobedience to call for a just, sustainable plant-based food system.

ENDS

Word Count: 566

High-quality pictures and videos: https://show.pics.io/plant-based-future

For interviews or further comment please contact:

Nathan (Press Back Office): 07466114387

Jax (Press Back Office): 07424947798

pressoffice@animalrebellion.org

Notes To Editors:

[1] The sites where actions took place this morning are: 1. Arla Aylesbury, HP22 5EZ 2. Müller Droitwich, WR9 0LW 3. Müller Bridgwater, TA6 6DF.

[2]: ,https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qOq2Jqqga9E&t=5s

• The distribution centres affected include Arla’s largest distribution site in Aylesbury, which processes 10% of the UK’s dairy produce [1].
• Arla fears supermarket milk will run dry as more than 30 Animal Rebellion supporters breach High Court injunction at their largest distribution site in Aylesbury.
• The distribution centres, operated by Müller and Arla, combine to process an estimated 2 billion litres of fresh milk yearly [2].

From 5:00 am today, groups of Animal Rebellion supporters stopped and climbed company trucks outside facilities. Others trespassed inside company facilities, climbing up onto milk silos and the sites' loading bays.

Witness testimony served in the High Court last week revealed that during a 24-hour blockade in August 2021 at their Aylesbury site, Arla lost revenues of £170,000. They say that if this action lasts 2 weeks as anticipated ‘it is inevitable that there will be milk shortages on supermarket shelves.’ [3]

Today’s action comes after the group received no response to a letter delivered to Downing Street in August, warning of disruptive action in September unless progress towards their demands was made [4].

Steve Bone, a father and photographer from Thorpe-le-Soken, who has occupied a milk silo at Arla, Aylesbury says: “Along with over 30 brave individuals, I am defying a High Court Injunction and risking prison to send a message to the UK Government that we need a plant-based future to restore the British countryside and all the wonderful nature lost to animal farming. Farmers can, and should, be supported in the necessary transition to plant-based production. A plant-based future would enable massive carbon drawdown and mitigate the worst impacts of the climate crisis. We are offering the solution; our government needs to take it”

Animal Rebellion has stated that its supporters will continue to take nonviolent direct action until the British Government enters negotiations for its two demands:

1. Government supports farmers and fishing communities to move away from animal farming and fishing as part of an urgent and immediate transition to a plant-based food system.

2. Government commits to rewild the freed-up land and ocean as part of a broader programme of wildlife restoration and carbon drawdown.

In 2018, comprehensive research from the University of Oxford showed that 76% of the land currently used for food production would be freed-up by a global transition to plant-based production [5]. This land could be rewilded and begin carbon drawdown, mitigating the worst impacts of climate breakdown. A 2019 Harvard University report on UK farmland and food production from Helen Harwatt and Matthew N. Hayek also concluded that the UK would be carbon-negative if it completely transitioned to a plant-based food system [6].

John Appleton, a father and former employee of the dairy company Arla for six years and who is part of the disruption, said: “I’ve seen this industry first hand; I know the struggle that farmers and workers go through every single day. We need a food system that works for them, everyone else, and nonhuman animals. Governmental support for this is vital to tackle the climate and ecological emergencies. We know the twin solution: transition to a plant-based food system and a mass rewilding programme.”

The action today comes as part of Animal Rebellion’s demands for a plant-based future, which were announced on Monday 23rd of May [7]. The animal and climate group is urging wholesale governmental support for farmers and fishing communities to transition to a plant-based food system and programme of rewilding that will secure a future for generations to come.

Animal Rebellion is a mass movement using nonviolent civil disobedience to call for a just, sustainable plant-based food system.

ENDS

High-quality pictures and videos: ,https://show.pics.io/plant-based-future

For interviews or further comments please contact:

Nathan (Press Back Office): 07466114387

Jax (Press Back Office): 07424947798

pressoffice@animalrebellion.org

Notes To Editors:

[1] ,https://www.arlafoods.co.uk/overview/arla-in-the-uk/aylesbury/key-facts/

[2] The sites where actions are taking place are 1. Arla Aylesbury, HP22 5EZ 2. Müller Droitwich, WR9 0LW 3. Müller Severnside, GL10 2DG 4. Müller Bridgwater, TA6 6DF.

[3] ,https://www.walkermorris.co.uk/arla-injunction

[4] ,https://animalrebellion.org/supporters-of-animal-rebellion-deliver-demands-for-a-plant-based-future-to-downing-street/

[5] ,https://www.science.org/doi/10.1126/science.aaq0216

[6] ,https://animal.law.harvard.edu/wp-content/uploads/Eating-Away-at-Climate-Change-with-Negative-Emissions%E2%80%93%E2%80%93Harwatt-Hayek.pdf?fbclid=IwAR0qbRS0IuKp4JG0AzXXb5P73osdgnYJ3VBJir88YBpMlajmJg0riNVJFMg

[7] ,https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qOq2Jqqga9E&t=5s

• Over 100 supporters of Animal Rebellion have stopped the supply of fresh dairy across large areas of England.
• The distribution centres affected include Arla Aylesbury, which processes 10% of the UK’s dairy produce [1].
• The distribution centres, operated by Müller and Arla, combine to process an estimated 2 billion litres of fresh milk yearly [2].

From 5:00 am today, groups of Animal Rebellion supporters stopped and climbed company trucks outside facilities, whilst others trespassed inside company facilities, climbing up onto milk silos and the sites' loading bays. This comes after the group received no response to a letter delivered to Downing Street in August, warning of disruptive action in September unless progress towards their demands was made [3].

John Appleton, a father and former employee of the dairy company Arla for six years and who is part of the disruption, said: “I’ve seen this industry first hand; I know the struggle that farmers and workers go through every single day. We need a food system that works for them, everyone else, and nonhuman animals. Governmental support for this is vital to tackle the climate and ecological emergencies. We know the twin solution: transition to a plant-based food system and a mass rewilding programme.”

Animal Rebellion has stated that its supporters will continue to take nonviolent direct action until the British Government enters negotiations for its two demands:

1. Government supports farmers and fishing communities to move away from animal farming and fishing as part of an urgent and immediate transition to a plant-based food system.

2. Government commits to rewild the freed-up land and ocean as part of a broader programme of wildlife restoration and carbon drawdown.

In 2018, comprehensive research from the University of Oxford showed that 76% of the land currently used for food production would be freed-up by a global transition to plant-based production [4]. This land could be rewilded and begin carbon drawdown, mitigating the worst impacts of climate breakdown. A 2019 Harvard University report on UK farmland and food production from Helen Harwatt and Matthew N. Hayek also concluded that the UK would be carbon-negative if it completely transitioned to a plant-based food system [5].

Steve Bone, a father and photographer from Thorpe-le-Soken, who is taking action today said: “A plant-based future would restore the British countryside and all the wonderful nature lost to animal farming. Farmers can, and should, be supported in the necessary transition to plant-based production. A plant-based future would enable massive carbon drawdown and mitigate the worst impacts of the climate crisis. We are offering the solution; our government needs to take it”

The action today comes as part of Animal Rebellion’s demands for a plant-based future, which were announced on Monday 23rd of May [6]. The animal and climate group is urging wholesale governmental support for farmers and fishing communities to transition to a plant-based food system and programme of rewilding that will secure a future for generations to come.

Animal Rebellion is a mass movement using nonviolent civil disobedience to call for a just, sustainable plant-based food system.

ENDS

Word Count: 530

High-quality pictures and videos: ,https://show.pics.io/plant-based-future

For interviews or further comments please contact:

Nathan (Press Back Office): 07466114387

Jax (Press Back Office): 07424947798

pressoffice@animalrebellion.org

Notes To Editors:

[1] ,https://www.arlafoods.co.uk/overview/arla-in-the-uk/aylesbury/key-facts/

[2] The sites where actions are taking place are 1. Arla Aylesbury, HP22 5EZ 2. Müller Droitwich, WR9 0LW 3. Müller Severnside, GL10 2DG 4. Müller Bridgwater, TA6 6DF.

[3] ,https://animalrebellion.org/supporters-of-animal-rebellion-deliver-demands-for-a-plant-based-future-to-downing-street/

[4] ,https://www.science.org/doi/10.1126/science.aaq0216

[5] ,https://animal.law.harvard.edu/wp-content/uploads/Eating-Away-at-Climate-Change-with-Negative-Emissions%E2%80%93%E2%80%93Harwatt-Hayek.pdf?fbclid=IwAR0qbRS0IuKp4JG0AzXXb5P73osdgnYJ3VBJir88YBpMlajmJg0riNVJFMg

[6] ,https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qOq2Jqqga9E&t=5s

• Between midday and 1pm on Saturday 3rd September, protestors from Animal Rebellion entered a Whole Foods store in London, Marks & Spencer’s stores in Southampton, Birmingham, and Manchester.
• This comes after supporters of the group emptied out milk onto the floor of Harrods in July, gaining widespread media coverage [1].
• These actions come as the government refused multiple calls for dialogue early this year [2].

Animal Rebellion is calling for the Government to support farmers and fishing communities in a transition to plant-based food production, and to use the land freed up for rewilding as part of a broader programme of wildlife restoration and carbon draw-down.

The protests involved people sitting down in the dairy and/or meat aisles of high-end supermarkets with signs that read ‘Plant-Based Future’ and ‘Rewild our Land’.

Max, who took part in the protest at Marks & Spencer in Manchester, said:

“This is not how I want to spend my weekend, but as the Government is failing to respond to our climate, ecological and moral crises, I no longer feel I have a choice. Earlier this summer more than 60 homes and businesses burnt down when Britain faced record-breaking temperatures and now one-third of Pakistan is underwater from extreme climate-induced flooding.

“A plant-based future is imperative to significantly reduce our environmental impact and free up vast amounts of land that could be returned to nature, reversing the sixth mass extinction event we find ourselves in and extracting harmful emissions out of the atmosphere. There has never been a more important time to make people aware of the link between animal farming and fishing and its destructive impact on our environment.”

Robert Gordon, who occupied the dairy section of a Whole Foods store near Soho, London, said:

“Animal farming and fishing are leading causes of our climate and ecological crises. Supermarkets like Whole Foods claim to be environmentally conscious, yet they continue to stock from the destructive meat, fish, and dairy industries. With this sit-in today, we are making a clear statement that only a plant-based food system can alleviate the threat posed by climate breakdown.

“The minor inconvenience caused by our actions pales in comparison to the consequences of climate breakdown which is already happening globally. Earlier this summer, record-breaking temperatures in the UK saw the busiest day for firefighters in London since the Second World War; whilst drought is putting millions of lives on the line in the Horn of Africa. Our Government must act now to support farmers in a transition to a plant-based food system and rewild the freed-up land as part of a broader programme of wildlife restoration and carbon draw-down.”

The action today comes as part of Animal Rebellion’s demands for a plant-based future, which were announced on Monday 23rd of May [3]. The animal and climate group is urging for wholesale governmental support for farmers and fishing communities to transition to a plant-based food system and programme of rewilding that will secure a future for generations to come.

Animal Rebellion is a mass movement using nonviolent civil disobedience to call for a just, sustainable plant-based food system.

ENDS

Word Count: 538

High-quality pictures and videos: https://show.pics.io/animal-rebellion-breaking-news-/search?tagId=62f682247a65950012f2b629

For interviews or further comment please contact:

pressoffice@animalrebellion.org

Notes To Editors:

[1] https://animalrebellion.org/animal-rebellion-pour-milk-on-floor-of-harrods-as-part-of-plant-based-future-campaign/

[2] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qOq2Jqqga9E&t=5s and https://animalrebellion.org/supporters-of-animal-rebellion-deliver-demands-for-a-plant-based-future-to-downing-street/

• Animal Rebellion declares it will disrupt the supply of dairy to supermarkets all over the UK this month, impacting millions of consumers.
• This comes after The British Government rejected two separate calls for dialogue in May and August, respectively [1].
• The animal and climate justice group claim that hundreds of people will be involved in civil resistance until there is government commitment toward their demands.

Statement from Animal Rebellion:

In the first two weeks of September, Animal Rebellion will take nonviolent action to stop the supply of dairy to UK Supermarkets, meaning millions of consumers will be unable to buy dairy milk.

We have spent months trying all the proper channels to engage with the Government on the scientific consensus to transition to a plant-based future, but they have chosen to ignore us. We have left with no choice but to step into civil resistance to pressure government action to preserve our futures.

We are announcing our intentions in advance so the British public to prepare for a disruption to the milk supply this September. We apologise for any stress this may cause during a cost of living crisis, but the government are sleepwalking every single one of us into poverty, misery, and climate and ecological collapse We cannot sit by and let this happen.

According to Sir David King (former Chief Scientific Advisor to Blair and Brown, whilst also serving under Cameron) what we do in the next 2-3 years will determine the future of humanity [2]. The climate crisis is already causing wildfires and droughts in this country, and the Global South is facing mass starvation and migration. This is just a prelude to what is to come if we fail to act.

The science is clear, supporting farmers to transition to a plant-based food system, and then rewilding the freed-up land is the key solution to the climate and nature crises.

According to scientists at Harvard University, if we make this transition the UK can reduce emissions and drawdown enough carbon to be net negative in emissions, whilst ensuring food security by sufficiently feeding the population on less land [3]. As part of this transition, we can invest in British farming and rural communities, and also rewild our land, restoring Britain’s beautiful wildlife – hedgehogs, badgers and birds. If we transition to a plant-based future we all win.

We recognise that we are calling for nothing less than a complete transformation of our food system. This will only happen through bold political leadership, we need politicians who listen to the data being presented to us by scientists from Oxford and the IPCC, to name a few [4]. They must tell the truth and act in line with the severity of the situation we are in.

Instead, our political leaders are completely failing to take any meaningful action to protect our homes, our children, and all life. Instead, they are worrying about narrow short-term interests of profit and power. They fail to act on climate, just as they fail to act on the cost of living crisis, they can’t even act on their own corruption.

After three successive prime ministerial resignations, countless scandals, and further descent into crisis, we declare that we have no confidence in the government.

We have had enough of hoping the government will do the right thing. Animal Rebellion, with other movements, are rising up because we believe change is possible. We are willing to nonviolently bring it about, no matter the personal cost.

We are in rebellion, for all life.

Animal Rebellion

Word Count: 588

ENDS

For further comments or interviews contact:

pressoffice@animalrebellion.org

For high-quality pictures and videos please see https://show.pics.io/animal-rebellion-breaking-news

Notes to Editors

[1] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qOq2Jqqga9E&t=5s and https://animalrebellion.org/supporters-of-animal-rebellion-deliver-demands-for-a-plant-based-future-to-downing-street/

[2] https://www.thecitizen.org.au/articles/forget-2050-experts-say-its-2030-or-bust-for-net-zero-emissions#:~:text=%E2%80%9CWe%20have%20to%20move%20rapidly,determine%20the%20future%20of%20humanity.

[3] https://animal.law.harvard.edu/wp-content/uploads/Eating-Away-at-Climate-Change-with-Negative-Emissions%E2%80%93%E2%80%93Harwatt-Hayek.pdf?fbclid=IwAR0qbRS0IuKp4JG0AzXXb5P73osdgnYJ3VBJir88YBpMlajmJg0riNVJFMg [4] https://www.science.org/doi/10.1126/science.aaq0216 and https://www.ipcc.ch/srccl/chapter/chapter-5/

• On 19/08/2022, Animal Rebellion sent a letter to 5 DEFRA ministers, all 32 DEFRA agencies and public bodies and 31 appointed DEFRA officers across all domains.
• The letter is urging these individuals to take action, amongst the silence Animal Rebellion has so far recieved from The Government
• Animal Rebellion previously delivered a letter to 10 Downing St on 06/08/22, which has recieved no reply

The full letter text can be found below:

“As a co-founder of Animal Rebellion – a mass movement using nonviolent civil disobedience to call for a just, sustainable plant-based food system – I am writing to urge you to step forward in support of our demands during our September campaign.

During the first two weeks of September 2022, Animal Rebellion will bring dairy supply to a stand-still with the participation of 500 people across the country. This will result in milk shortage in supermarkets nationally, becoming a massive media spectacle to occupy front-page news day after day.

In May, we issued a statement with two demands for Prime Minister Boris Johnson and Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, George Eustice:

1. Government supports farmers and fishing communities to move away from animal farming and fishing as part of an urgent and immediate transition to a plant-based food system.

2. Government commits to rewild the freed-up land and ocean as part of a broader programme of wildlife restoration and carbon drawdown.

For the past three years, we have been reaching out to the Government so we can stop the disruptions and begin negotiations. To date, this invitation has not been responded to.

We act out of sheer necessity. Hard-working farmers who feed this nation are trapped in a dying, and environmentally disastrous food production system. The cost of not supporting this transition is unmeasurable.

I am certain we share the same understanding of the science that alarmed the world with a “code red” for humanity and said we are at our “endgame”. But there is plenty of evidence that an urgent transition to plant-based food systems and mass rewilding could still give us hope.

Joseph Poore, Oxford Academic, and co-author of the most comprehensive academic analysis of food production in history concluded that a global switch to plant-based food production would give incomparable positive changes to greenhouse gases, global acidification, eutrophication, and water use. Whilst also using a staggering 76% less land to produce the same amount of food.

A 2019 Harvard University report on UK farmland and food production from Helen Harwatt and Matthew N. Hayek strongly recommends a complete shift to plant-based production. The benefits of this are twofold: a reduction of the emissions produced and land used from animal farming and fishing, whilst also rewilding the freed-up land to absorb greenhouse gases from the atmosphere. This would result in net negative emissions from food production.

These are just two examples from the many studies and published papers that show the massive improvements we could all benefit from by transitioning to a plant-based food system.

I am one to believe that individual people at DEFRA do their absolute best to deal with this emergency. Yet, it is plain to see for the general public that DEFRA`s responsibility for improving and protecting the environment is hindered by the broken economic, political, and cultural systems that preserve a devastating status quo. Social science is clear: such systemic revolution can only happen through non-violent mass resistance.

I turn to you at this dire time, asking that in case the silence from Prime Minister Boris Johnson, his successor (Liz Truss or Rishi Sunak,), and Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, George Eustice continues until 31st August 2022, you will stand with the people, and back our demands during the September disruptions, even at your own, personal sacrifice.

“Power is of two kinds. One is obtained by the fear of punishment and the other by acts of love. Power based on love is a thousand times more effective and permanent than the one derived from fear of punishment.” – Mahatma Gandhi

Your Sincerely,

Dora Hargitai, on behalf of Animal Rebellion”