Five activists from Animal Rising have been sentenced at Bristol Magistrates’ Court after being found guilty of aggravated trespass following a protest at a Muller dairy site in Somerset.
The activists, who took part in a 2022 blockade at the Bridgwater facility, each received a nine-month conditional discharge, were ordered to pay £200 compensation to Muller, a £26 victim surcharge, and court costs totalling £634 between them. A sixth defendant facing the same charge was found not guilty.
The case forms part of Animal Rising’s “Stop the Supply” campaign, which saw coordinated protests at major dairy processors — including Muller, Freshways and Arla Foods — in September 2022. The demonstrations temporarily disrupted milk deliveries, leading to localised shortages in some supermarkets.
The group said its aim was to raise public awareness of the environmental impact of agriculture and to promote a transition towards plant-based systems. In court, the defendants maintained that their actions were intended to encourage debate.
One of those convicted, Catherine Cannon, a teacher from Somerset, said modernising food production “offers such great potential for bringing about the rapid cooling needed to reduce the severity of extreme weather, save so many species of animals and plants from being wiped out, and restore our food security.”
She called on Defra Secretary Emma Reynolds to “lead a transition to a safe and sustainable plant-based food system.”
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 group broke into the Hatfield plant in September 2022, causing an estimated £100,000 worth of damage in just 20 minutes.
Following an extensive investigation, Hertfordshire Constabulary arrested and charged 14 people with conspiracy to cause criminal damage. At the time, Mo Metcalf-Fisher, external affairs director for the Countryside Alliance, described the incident as “blatant hooliganism and vandalism.”
He added: “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.”
