Alliance demands safe return of lambs stolen by animal rights extremists

Animal rights activists who stole three lambs from the Royal Sandringham estate are facing demands to disclose where they are being held, amid serious concerns for their welfare.

The young sheep were taken from the Appleton Farm in Norfolk by members of Animal Rising last week.

Three women involved in the dangerous stunt presented themselves to a police station in Berkshire the next day and have since been released on police bail.

The group has released a picture of themselves with the lambs in transit but are yet to reveal where the stolen animals are being held. In one tweet shared by the group, they allude to the lambs being held at a ‘sanctuary’.

Movement of sheep across the country is strictly regulated to prevent the spread of diseases such as foot-and-mouth.

Speaking to the Mail on Sunday, Tim Bonner, Chief Executive of the Countryside Alliance said: “Animal Rising are behaving like wannabe gangsters, essentially holding these no doubt already traumatised lambs to ransom. If they truly care about animal welfare they must disclose photographic and verified evidence to support their claims that these stolen lambs are indeed alive and well, as well as details of their exact location.

“There’s a huge amount that could go wrong, in the wrong hands, and should that happen, it will be the group that is responsible. Those behind this needless act of cruelty deserve to be punished using the full force of the law” he added.

Branding the theft “deeply irresponsible”, former Environment Secretary Theresa Villiers said: “For good reason there are extensive rules in place to safeguard the welfare of livestock, especially when animals are transported.

“Animal Rising should reveal the location of the lambs and return them to their mothers. At the very least, they must provide photographic evidence that they are being properly cared for.”

Speaking to LBC's Colin Brazier on the subject, David Bean, Parliament and Government Relations Manager at the Countryside Alliance, said "There's such an inherent contradiction in what these movements' goals really are,  because if their concern is about global food supply... then the last thing that they should be doing is attacking livestock farming in the United Kingdom." You can listen to David's full interview below.