MP Ian Liddell-Grainger condemns protests at Muller Bridgwater

Ian Liddell-Grainger said the Animal Rebellion members were putting lives at risk by their actions - and called on magistrates to deal firmly with any of those arrested who were taken to court.

He said: “They might as well accept now that that isn’t going to happen - and save themselves and the police a lot of bother.”

Animal Rebellion is campaigning for an end to livestock farming and wants farmers to stop meat and milk production.

Fifteen arrests in total were made at the plant after the protesters invaded it and chained themselves to vehicles. Specialist police teams were brought in to remove them.

But said Mr Liddell-Grainger: “What is totally unacceptable is that the people who work there have been targeted. They have been threatened. They have had their tyres let down. And there have been attempts to sabotage production by contaminating milk.

“These stupid, utterly irresponsible people have to be left in no doubt that we are not going to put up with their actions.

“They have every right to demonstrate in support of their views. What they do not have a right to do is to intimidate people who are merely doing their job - and to possibly jeopardise people’s lives by interfering with their food.

“Ninety six per cent of the people in this country drink milk and wish to carry on doing so. Milk is one of the finest of all natural foods and although these people keep banging on tediously about farm animal welfare if they really knew anything at all about farming they would know that unless cows are properly looked after and managed their milk output is compromised. In other words it’s in farmers’ interests to maintain high welfare standards.

“The Muller plant has been an exemplary and much-valued local employer for years: targeting it in this way is not going to change the nation’s dietary habits - but it will rapidly erode what little public support there was for Animal Rebellion.”