GRASSROOTS MOVEMENT AUGUST ROUND UP

There’s been some huge wins for the grassroots animal rights space in August.

Right at the start of the month, Southampton Animal Action convinced Brittany Ferries to end the live export of farmed animals from Ireland to France.

They protested and disrupted ports, offices, and shareholders across the South Coast and London for a year. Concerned the protests might escalate to demonstrations at sea, Brittany Ferries’ CEO gave them his personal WhatsApp number, arranged a series of meetings, and agreed to end the vile trade! The win has sent the Irish farming sector into crisis mode, and they are warning that if a replacement isn’t found soon. All eyes are now on Irish Ferries, the only remaining live exporter for the Irish farming industry. This is an incredible opportunity for our grassroots movement to strike a powerful blow against the dairy industry.

More incredible news from Scotland as grassroots activists and national organisation Protect the Wild have just saved 4,000 lives!

Following a sustained campaign against the Guga Hunt, which sees ten men from the Scottish island of Lewis bludgeon baby gannets to death for a local delicacy, the hunt’s licence has been revoked! In support of the Protect the Wild campaign, grassroots activists smashed windows, painted buildings, and occupied rooftops. The licence will not be issued for 2026, and the licensing body, NatureScot, has indicated this will continue through 2027. Gannets are an endangered species, and the licence is allowed only because of a deliberate loophole in the law. Campaigners are now pushing to close this loophole and make the hunt permanently illegal.

MBR Acres, the notorious puppy factory that breeds dogs for research, continues to sink into shit. Quite literally, it turns out, as their waste management company pulled out, leaving them stacking tonnes of dog poo in rubble sacks behind their buildings. The MBR Suppliers campaign (www.mbrsuppliers.is or MBR Suppliers on FB) is impressively deconstructing the company, leaving them with no working toilets (for the last year!), no gardeners (their security have to trim the hedges to allow lorries in), at risk of being delisted from Companies House, and their £250,000 office building remains unfinished because no one wants to build it.

The National Animal Rights March saw thousands of people marching for animal freedom in London. This is the fifth month in a row that activists have taken to the UK streets en masse for the animals! The Animal Freedom Network has announced that 25 local animal rights communities have formed as part of their efforts to help support and grow the grassroots space. An exciting initiative that is already seeing great results! Their national gathering is on September 25-27 – more info at www.animalfreedom.org.uk.