A West Somerset MP has condemned ‘utterly irresponsible’ demonstrators who have tried to disrupt production at a milk processing plant.

The action is being taken by Animal Rebellion members at Bridgwater’s Muller milk processing plant. They are campaigning for an end to livestock farming.

Police said ten arrests were made at the plant after protesters invaded it and chained themselves to vehicles.

But said Mr Liddell-Grainger: “What is totally unacceptable is that the people who work there have been targeted.

“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.”