Animal Rebellion stages a blockade at McDonald’s factory
15th July 2021
Activists are demanding that McDonald’s switch to a fully plant-based menu by 2025.
Image: Animal Rebellion
Fifty Animal Rebellion activists have formed a blockade at the only factory in the UK that produces burgers for McDonald’s, using bamboo structures, trucks, tents and a roof occupation. It is calling for more protestors to join the demonstration.
The factory, OSI Food Solutions in Scunthorpe, produces and ships three million patties a day for 3.5 million customers.
Protestors say they will stay as long as necessary to cause mass disruption to McDonald’s supply chain, citing the fast-food chain’s track record on environmental issues, animal welfare and labour conditions.
The group is demanding that McDonald’s commit to a fully plant-based menu by 2025, but says it will end the blockade if the chain agrees to a 20 per cent plant-based menu within a year.
Animal Rebellion – which describes itself as a mass movement using non-violent civil disobedience to call for a sustainable plant-based food system – shut down all four of the fast-food giant’s distribution centres in May, leading to food shortages and store closures for the chain.
Police arrested 14 people following the previous demonstration, which cut off supply to 1,300 restaurants for a combined total of 95 hours.
McDonald’s has not yet commented on the latest protest.
