Bristol activists from XR offshoot, Animal Rebellion (AR) claim that supermarkets in the city have seen shortages in their dairy aisles as a result of their recent blockades. Although AR has chosen to pause actions, following the death of the Queen, they are now calling on King Charles III to ‘lead by example’, and have plans to continue direct action after the 'mourning period'.
On September 4, AR activists stopped operations in seven UK dairy production sites by locking themselves on to trucks and blocking roads. The Bristol activists who targeted Bridgewater and Muller Foods distribution centre in Gloucester are celebrating victory after discovering gaps and empty shelves in various supermarket’s milk sections, which they claim are a result of their actions.
Pea, an AR activist from Bristol took pictures of Tesco in Cabot Circus and the Eastgate Centre last week, showing empty shelves in milk sections. Pea told Bristol Live that since their recent action earlier this month, they have been inundated with people wanting to join their group who are “really excited” and “can’t wait” for the next action.
READ MORE: Animal Rebellion on why they're marching through Bristol today - opinion
The Bristol AR group is very active according to facilitator Michaela, who was inspired to reboot the group following an animal rights march in London, when she met a fellow Bristolian vegan. Michaela, who works with children, and spends most of her free time organising with AR, feels that having frequent actions is key to the group's success.
“In the last four months we've had a march round the city centre with speeches outside eateries where meat is consumed and put up posters to promote marches with Extinction Rebellion and stop dairy. We gave away free vegan ice-cream at the Fountains, which people loved, and we held a sit-in in the dairy aisle of a supermarket in Broadmead,” she said.
Michaela emphasised that all actions are non-violent, although she admitted they are designed to challenge the status quo and help bring about a transition to plant-based farming, and rewild farm land to help remove more CO2 from the air.
“Some members of the group choose to be 'arrestable' but you don't have to be. I'm not, because of work and others are in a similar position, while a few are bravely willing to put their freedom on the line and get arrested,” added Michaela.
AR chose to target dairy due to its short shelf life making blockades more effective. Dairy farmers in the south west and vegan AR activists have been sitting at the table talking about what they ‘hold in common’.
Dan Kidby, co-founder of Animal Rebellion, who has spent the last few days having these discussions, said “We have built many strong relationships with animal farmers and community leaders. This is just the beginning of a productive partnership to transform our food system together.”
Activist Pea added that there are a lot of myths around dairy being “wholesome” and “healthy”. She hopes their campaign can help to highlight its impact on the planet.
Pea said: “People are so unaware of what happens in the dairy industry with baby cows being ripped away from their mums at just a day old. The mother’s are artificially inseminated and completely broken down by the age of five - a cow that would normally get to live until 15. Then they get slaughtered, into hamburgers effectively. It’s an incredibly cruel and hideous industry.”
Alongside the animal welfare concerns are environmental fears and some around human health. Currently over two thirds of the world’s agricultural land is used for maintaining livestock, including beef and dairy cows, land that AR calls to be used for rewilding, creating new forests that could potentially reverse the devastating effects of global warming.
A 2019 study published by the Harvard Law school highlighted the need for the UK government to take radical action if its plans were to meet the conditions of the Paris agreement. The researchers suggest that the UK can reduce carbon emissions by reforesting land currently used for animal agriculture.
Although claims made about dairy being linked to an increased risk in cancers is not supported by Cancer Research UK and has been labelled by some as inconsistent, a recent large-scale Chinese study points towards a link. The 11-year-long study published in BMC medicine shows a link between dairy consumption and liver and breast cancers.
For activists in Bristol like Pea, they believe that non-violent direct action is the only way to get their voices heard after their letters to the Prime Minister were ignored. Pea said: "We've tried everything else, but the government is refusing to take on-board the horrors of catastrophic climate breakdown - heatwaves and floods causing death and distress to the most vulnerable, with the strong possibility of food shortages as crops rot in the fields.
“Our letter to the Prime Minister and our other actions have been ignored. This is a life or death situation, not some kind of children's game. Politicians have the choice to take serious and meaningful action to tackle climate breakdown. So long as they refuse to do so, we have to act to encourage them and to highlight the role of animal agriculture.
“If we don't take serious, large-scale and concerted action now, it'll be too late. People will be fighting over the last potato or can of beans on the supermarket shelf rather than looking for the cheapest special offer.”
The national AR spokesperson is calling on King Charles III to “build something better”. Nathan McGovern said: “The cost-of-living, climate, and ecological emergencies are still being felt by millions of people in this country and across the globe.
“Even though many are in a period of intense grief, we simply cannot ignore the fact that the grief and loss caused by runaway climate breakdown are felt in every corner of the planet. King Charles III has an opportunity now, to lead by example. In these times of uncertainty and sadness, there is the chance to build something better.
"He can address the many injustices that the royal family has been complicit in and take steps towards a better world. We need support from those in power to help farmers transition to a plant-based food system, whilst beginning a mass rewilding programme. Together these would make food abundant and cheap, whilst restoring nature and bringing down carbon from Earth’s atmosphere.”
A spokesperson for Müller UK & Ireland said: “We were targeted by a small number of activists who scaled fences with cordless power drills but were prevented from causing significant damage to vehicles and equipment, or endangering our employees.
“This small number of activists do not represent the 96% of adults in Britain who buy milk every week, and due to the professionalism and resilience of our employees, and the whole dairy supply chain, supplies were largely unaffected.”
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