Sixteen people charged following protest outside Arla milk plant

Sixteen people have been arrested and charged after activists set up a blockade outside a milk distribution centre in Buckinghamshire, calling for an 'end to dairy'.

In the early hours of Tuesday morning (31 August) campaigners from Animal Rebellion blocked the entrance to Arla Foods in Aylesbury.

Some of the activists were locked onto bamboo structures and concrete barricades.

Thames Valley Police said the sixteen men and women were all charged with one count of aggravated trespass and one count of wilful obstruction of the highway.

They will appear at High Wycombe Magistrates Court in October.

James Ozden, a spokesperson for Animal Rebellion, said about the blockade: “The recent IPCC report issued a code red warning on the impacts of the climate crisis. It spoke of a need for urgent action from our government to address carbon emissions, including methane which is in large part a byproduct of animal farming.

"Companies like Arla claim to be leading the way in tackling the climate crisis, yet until these big multinationals start to talk seriously about the inevitable need to transition our food system to one that is plant-based, their words are empty."

Arla says it is committed to producing dairy in a sustainable way.

A spokesperson for Arla said: "As a cooperative owned by farmers we are committed to producing dairy for the UK in the most sustainable way possible.

"We already make raw milk with around half the average emissions of dairy globally and intend to be carbon net zero by 2050. We are working with the police to limit the impact of this demonstration to both our customers and those living locally to the site.

"We have managed to complete our morning shift change over and all colleagues are safe, however, access to the site for our larger vehicles is being blocked. We are working to manage the impact of this."