Six Animal Rising activists have been sentenced for storming Muller’s dairy site in a high-profile protest that brought milk supplies to a standstill.
The activists, part of the group’s 2022 'stop the supply' action, were each handed 60 hours of unpaid community work, a £666 compensation order payable to Muller, and a £114 victim surcharge.
The protest formed part of a week-long nationwide campaign targeting dairy processors including Muller, Freshways and Arla Foods.
The action saw lorries blockaded and led to temporary milk shortages in some supermarkets and retailers across the UK.
Originally acquitted in January 2024 due to insufficient evidence, the six were later found guilty after the Crown Prosecution Service successfully appealed the decision in March this year.
One of the activists, 30-year-old Daniel Juniper from Bristol, highlighted the link between climate change and food security, pointing to "flooding, droughts and yield losses" as growing threats.
He said: “It is vitally important that the industry recognises that it’s in their interest to move to sustainable alternatives.”
Mr Juniper also warned that increasing intensification in farming leads to "more animals suffering, more farmers suffering, and worse outcomes for nature.”
Last year, activists from Animal Rising were fined nearly £60,000 after causing substantial damage to one of Arla's dairy distribution sites, in Hertfordshire.
Several members of the protest group broke into the Hatfield plant in September 2022, causing around £100,000 worth of damage in 20 minutes.
Following an extensive investigation, officers from Hertfordshire Constabulary arrested and charged 14 people with conspiracy to cause criminal damage.
Mo Metcalf-Fisher, external affairs director for the Countryside Alliance, welcomed the sentencing at the time, calling the incident 'blatant hooliganism and vandalism'.
He said: “It is right that the offenders have been brought to justice. The public are sick and tired of seeing disruption caused by a handful of obsessive, warped activists and it is commendable that Hertfordshire Constabulary pursued this case so rigorously”.
