Three arrested as Animal Justice Project protestors group scale DEFRA building

Three animal rights protesters were arrested after they scaled the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA) building in central London on Thursday morning.

Two women and a man from Animal Justice Project were held by Met Police on suspicion of criminal damage and causing a public nuisance after the protestors erected a large sign highlighting the dangers of bird flu on the outside of the building.

The Met Police said officers were called to the scene shortly before 6.30am this morning, after reports that people were trying to climb the outside of the building.

Road closures were put in place so police could safely deal with the protest, but the Met said these were being lifted at around 9.20am on Thursday.

Animal Justice Project tweeted a video of their members scaling the building this morning, instructing people to “stay tuned”.

Animal Justice Project campaigner Hope Wetherall said: “Activists today are braving the elements and dizzying heights to highlight the inaction of our government 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.

“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 problem.

“It is imperative that government bodies such as DEFRA take preventative and meaningful action now.”

The animal rights group are calling for the end of animal farming in the UK and seeking to achieve this through its five aims of: undercover investigation, pressure campaigning, education initiatives, event organising and public engagement.