- At around 13:45 today (Saturday 24th June) supporters of Animal Rising gained access to the stage at the Royal Highland Show where the Golden Shears World Championship was taking place.
- 3 individuals glued themselves to the gates behind which the sheep were kept, whilst others held posters detailing facts about the farming industry. They all wore pink t-shirts reading ‘Animal Rising: For All Life’
- Earlier this year, the group rescued 3 lambs from a farm on Royal land [1].
- Animal Rising says this action at the Royal Highland Show was taken to continue the national conversation about our broken relationship with other animals and nature that began in April when the group disrupted the Grand National at Aintree, and the Scottish Grand National in Ayr.
TODAY (Saturday 24th June) at around 13:45, the Golden Shears World Championship was disrupted by supporters of Animal Rising wearing pink t-shirts reading ‘For All Life’.
The competition, taking place at the Royal Highland Show in Edinburgh, involves teams from around the world sheep as quickly as possible.
Supporters of Animal Rising disrupted the championship by running onto the platform where the shearing takes place. Three individuals glued themselves to the stalls where the sheep are kept whilst others held placards, before being removed by security. Round 2 of the event, due to resume at 13:45, was delayed by at least 20 minutes as the live stream showed the same few ads on repeat
Members of the group were also sat at a table outside the event inviting conversations with farmers attending the 4-day event.
One of those establishing dialogue at the Royal Highland Show, Sarah McCaffrey, said: “We are here to engage in conversation around our broken relationship with animals and nature.
“We know that we are a nation of animal lovers, but that is not reflected in our actions. This is clear to see in Golden Sheers World Championship where sheep are put in positions where they are visibly stressed and uncomfortable, purely for our entertainment.
“It is also evident in our use of horses for ‘showjumping’ at this same event, and in our food system where we send 1 billion animals to be killed every year in the UK alone.
“That is why Animal Rising are here today taking action. But disruption is only part of the story, dialogue is key too if we are to create the lasting change we need: a safe, secure food plant-based food system and programme of rewilding”.
In 2018, comprehensive research from the University of Oxford showed that 76% of the land currently used for food production would be freed-up by a global transition to plant-based production.
This land could be rewilded and begin carbon drawdown, mitigating the worst impacts of climate breakdown. A 2019 Harvard University report on UK farmland and food production from Helen Harwatt and Matthew N. Hayek also concluded that the UK would be carbon-negative if it completely transitioned to a plant-based food system.
Animal Rising is a social movement to create a new relationship with all beings and give us a chance for a safe ecological future. The group primarily calls for the transition to a secure and sustainable plant-based food system, alongside a mass rewilding programme.