UK Activist Group Blocks 4 McDonald’s Distribution Sites, Calls For Transition To Plant-Based Food

Activist group Animal Rebellion has blockaded four McDonald's Corp (NYSE: MCD) distribution centers in the United Kingdom.

The group is calling attention to the role that raising livestock plays in climate change and is pushing McDonald's to transform into an all plant-based company by 2025.
Protestors are using trucks and bamboo structures to disrupt McDonald's supply chain, Animal Rebellion said in a statement.
Animal Rebellion says McDonald's is "just a symbol of a much bigger problem, the entire animal agriculture industry."
The group says a transition to a plant-based food system is needed to stop the climate crisis and end the suffering of animals.
McDonald's is frequently a target for activists given its size, brand recognition and emphasis on beef. Cattle-raising uses huge amounts of land and is among the main reasons behind deforestation, including in the Amazon rainforest. The meat and dairy industry also is a major source of greenhouse gases, in addition to having a reputation for factory farming. Campaigners point out that the land could be used much more efficiently to feed people by using it for plant-based food.
The group's blockade began on Saturday. The activists plan to stay for 24 to 48 hours.
McDonald's has 1,300 outlets in the U.K., according to the BBC.
McDonald's U.K. office told the BBC that it is "assessing the impact" the protest is having on supplies.
The company announced in November that it plans to introduce a plant-based burger called the McPlant.
Beyond Meat Inc (NASDAQ: BYND) co-created the plant-based patty that is to become the McPlant, Beyond Meat said at the time.
McDonald's plans could extend to chicken and breakfast sandwiches as well.

Photo courtesy Animal Rebellion.

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