Animal rights activists were “sprayed with manure” after facing angry farmers during a protest at the biggest event in the beef industry in Britain.
The incident happened in front of the Darlington Farmers Auction Mart (DFAM) in Durham County earlier today, as demonstrations led to a protester being taken to hospital.
The photos show masked Animal Justice Project (AJP) activists standing on the roof of the building, holding banners and spraying colored smoke rockets.
A spokesman for the group said campaign participants were left “covered in excrement” after it was alleged that one of those present at the event used a sprayer to blow them up with manure.
They said another activist was injured after it was alleged that farmers had targeted a group of protesters in a JCB excavator.
The AJP said his protest was “peaceful” and “silent” and aimed to highlight “the suffering of farm animals and environmental concerns”.
Image: Photo: Animal Justice Project / PA
But an AJP spokesman added: “We were sprayed with cow dung by a farmer using a machine.
“It was a peaceful protest and a silent protest, and we are overwhelmed and overwhelmed by hundreds of angry farmers.
“It’s really violent and there was a farmer who went and sprayed everyone’s clothes. Shouting, swearing, spraying us with manure, they tore up the banners. That’s absurd. “
The National Beef Association (NBA) described the event as a celebration of the best of British beef, which attracts at least 5,000 guests each year.
The group said the agricultural event “glorifies the exploitation and killing of animals”, which is “fundamentally wrong and unfair”.
Police have been at the scene of 5 in the morning and is working to terminate the demonstration, but activists have said they intend to stay indefinitely.
“It’s intimidating.”
Mark Dent, chairman of DFAM, said earlier that he believed the protesters were a source of “threat”.
He said: “We respect the right of people to protest, but the way they do it does not help their cause.
“There is no respect for people’s property and livelihood. I’m afraid that then you lose your moral heights … This is a tin roof and they jump up and down on it and bend.
“They have covered their faces. This is intimidating behavior (s). I am for people who are protesting against what they believe in, but this is the way they are doing it – covering their face, intimidating.”
He added: “If you have a pair of eyes, you will see how important agriculture is in the world right now. Food is at the top of the agenda.”
An NBA spokesman said the event had a “wonderful atmosphere” and did not comment on the protest.
Durham police said: “Our staff is working to bring the protest to a safe end and to minimize the impact on the wider community.”
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