A group of vegan activist eco-warriors targeted supermarkets across Britain on Saturday, taking milk from the shelves and pouring it on the floors and other dairy products to advocate for a plant-based diet.

Several upscale supermarket chains in Edinburg, London, Manchester, and Norwich saw members of the Animal Rebellion organisation vandalise their shops, with activists dumping milk on the floors and on other dairy products, including what looked to be several very large and expensive wheels of cheese.

According to a press release from the group, they claimed to have pulled the stunt in order to “highlight the need to support farmers in transitioning to a sustainable, plant-based food system.”

One of the Animal Rebellion members who pulled a stunt in the upmarket Fortnum & Mason department store in Central London, charity worker Lou Hadden, said: “A plant-based future is the key solution to the climate and ecological emergencies. Moreover, it would enable us to produce more food for more people with far less land and fewer resources.

“It would also reduce the suffering of billions of animals whilst restoring habitats to our beautiful wildlife. Prime Minister Liz Truss and Environment Secretary Ranil Jayawardena should make the most of this win-win-win scenario.”

The stunt came one day after fellow eco-warriors from the Just Stop Oil collective threw a can of tomato soup on the famed Sunflowers painting by Dutch artist Vincent van Gogh at Britain’s National Gallery.

The pair have since been charged with criminal damage to the frame of the painting, as the rest of the work was protected by a discrete glass covering.

Animal Rebellion activists have previously staged similar milk dumping protests in supermarkets, including at Selfridges in London in July, where two were arrested and charged with causing £100,000 in damages.

The vegan group, which is linked to the climate change-focused Extinction Rebellion, also drew criticism after spraying white paint on the outside of the Palace of Westminster, home to the Houses of Parliament, to protest against the consumption of milk.

Animal Rebellion has also targeted milk distributors by drilling holes into the tyres of lorries in order to prevent shipments.

Follow Kurt Zindulka on Twitter here @KurtZindulka