Protesters scaling the side of the Home office building in London – (ID 537095)

Animal rights activists scaled the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA) building in central London to draw attention to the bird flu crisis and intensive farming practices. Two members of the Animal Justice Project climbed the outer wall in hazmat suits before unfurling a banner calling for an end to animal agriculture due to its links to pandemics and the impact on livestock welfare.  

“Activists today are braving the elements and dizzying heights to highlight our government’s inaction on the urgent and catastrophic outbreak of bird flu that is tearing through intensive chicken sheds at lightning speed, as well as other animal agriculture-causing diseases,” said Hope Wetherall, an Animal Justice Project campaigner. Modern agriculture causes both immense suffering and death to animals, and a very real risk to humans, yet we continue to see no real action taken by the politicians other than declaring avian influenza prevention zones and mass culling – actions that fail to target the source of the proble “It is critical that government agencies such as DEFRA take proactive and meaningful action right away.”   A spokesman for the  Met Police said: Officers were called shortly before 6.30 a.m. to reports of two protesters scaling the Government building on Marsham Street. Specialized units were called in. The incident was still ongoing no arrests had been made.

More news from London