Muller protesters sentenced for factory trespass

The activists blockaded several dairy distribution sites in September 2022

Five climate activists have been fined for a protest at the UK's largest milk factory.

They were all sentenced at Bristol Magistrates' Court after being found guilty of aggravated trespass.

It follows the arrest of ten people after the entrance of the Muller Bridgwater factory in Somerset was blocked in 2022.

Five people - Carol Wood, 56, Philip Sleigh, 69, Catherine Cannon, 47, Christopher White, 32, and Oliver Stevens, 23 - were given a nine-month conditional discharge, ordered to pay £200 compensation to Muller, and a £26 victim surcharge.

A sixth defendant facing the same charge of aggravated trespass, Edward Wiltshire, 49, was found not guilty at the hearing on Thursday.

The protest was part of a week of nationwide Animal Rising actions at Muller, Freshways and Arla Food's dairy facilities, which saw dairy trucks immobilised.

The group said it believed that agriculture is an unsustainable food system which is contributing the climate crisis.

At the time of the protest, a spokesperson for Muller UK and Ireland said despite some attempts to damage equipment, supplies of milk were maintained.

The Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs declined to comment on this particular case, but said it was working on its Good Food Cycle which aims to tackle obesity and climate change impacts.