Müller dairy protest sees Sunderland man, 31, given unpaid community work after blocking factory in Droitwich

The Animal Rebellion members blocked the factory in Droitwich, in September 2022, as part of a campaign to encourage people to eat plant-based food.

Protesters climbed onto trucks, milk silos and loading bays while some glued themselves to the ground and chained themselves to fences, Worcester Crown Court was told.

Ben Pattison, 31, from Sunderland and Kat Chan, 23, from Glasgow, were ordered to carry out up to 240 hours unpaid work and pay fines of more than £1,000 each.

Müller plants in Gloucestershire and Somerset were also targeted as was Arla's milk factory in Buckinghamshire.

Chan and Pattison were both convicted of conspiracy to commit criminal damage, while Chan was convicted of having an article with intent to destroy or damage property, having denied all the offences.

Pattison was found guilty of of intentionally or recklessly causing a public nuisance.

Pattison was ordered to pay £1,200 and complete 220 hours of unpaid work.

Chan has been told to compete 240 hours of unpaid work and pay a fine of £1,500.

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.

After being sentenced, Ben, a painter and decorator, 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.”