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A crew of 18 Animal Rising activists have been charged in connection with a burglary after a break in at an animal testing centre that saw 20 beagle puppies set free.
The gang of activists stormed a medical testing site at MBR Acres in Wyton, Cambridgeshire, just before 6am on December 20, 2022.
The group said it managed to get 12 of its supporters inside the controversial facility and ‘rescue’ 20 of the animals.
MBR Acres, which is owned by Marshall BioResources, reportedly breeds around 2,000 beagles a year for universities and private laboratories around the world for experimental research.
Beagles are often used in experiments because they are gentle, kind-natured animals.
Some of the Animal Rebellion activists following the raid of a medical testing site at MBR Acres in Wyton, Cambridgeshire, just before 6am on December 20, 2022
The group said it managed to get 12 of its supporters inside the controversial facility and ‘rescue’ 20 beagles. Cambridgeshire Police managed to recover two of the beagles and return them to the facility, but 18 were never recovered
Following the raid, MBR Acres described the protesters as ‘extremists’ and said their actions ‘placed stress on our animals and staff’
Cambridgeshire Police managed to recover two of the beagles and return them to the facility, but 18 were never recovered.
Following the raid, MBR Acres described the protesters as ‘extremists’ and said their actions ‘placed stress on our animals and staff’.
Now 12 of the activists have been charged with burglary and six with aiding and abetting burglary.
The group is due to appear for a plea hearing at Cambridge Magistrates Court on July 25.
Animal welfare zealots Animal Rising (formerly Animal Rebellion) has said the trial will ‘put the eyes of the nation on animal testing, forcing the industry to defend itself in front of a jury of 12 ordinary people’.
The group has labelled it the ‘trial of the decade’ due to its significance on the issue of animal testing.
This is the moment protesters used bolt cutters to break into the beagle breeding facility and release 20 dogs
Animal welfare zealots Animal Rising (formerly Animal Rebellion) has said the trial of the gang will ‘put the eyes of the nation on animal testing, forcing the industry to defend itself in front of a jury of 12 ordinary people’
A protestor poses with two of the ‘rescued’ beagle puppies
The group accuses MBR Acres of being responsible for breeding around 2,000 beagles each year to be sold for animal testing at 16 weeks old.
Animal Rising claims MBR Acres of holding ‘bleeding licences’ which allow them to bleed healthy dogs to death to harvest their blood and organs
The protestors raided the site with t-shirts reading ‘What Would You Do If This Was Your Dog?’
Protest group Animal Rebellion (now Animal Rising) released a statement following the raid in December 2022
Dan Kidby, Animal Rising Co-Founder and Co-Director said: ‘In 2022 Animal Rising saved the lives of 18 beagle puppies – sparing them unimaginable and pointless suffering in animal testing – and will now have the opportunity to put the horrors of MBR Acres in front of a jury.
‘This case is not about burglary, rather it is about putting the animal testing industry on trial.
‘The animal testing industry loves to stay in the shadows, shielding itself from popular opinion. These beagle rescuers now given it nowhere to hide and the public is going to see the true face of testing on animals.’
The group accuses MBR Acres of being responsible for breeding around 2,000 beagles each year to be sold for animal testing at 16 weeks old.
They claim the company also holds ‘bleeding licences’ which allow them to bleed healthy dogs to death to harvest their blood and organs.
Animal Rising also claims the site has previously come under fire for welfare breaches with recorded fly infestations, unhygienic buildings, lack of bedding, and dogs without access to outdoor spaces or enrichment.
The organisation has been part of the protest group which have campaigned outside the facility since July 2021 – known as Camp Beagle.
The animal testing facility has also faced some celebrity opposition.
Singer Will Young handcuffed himself to a gate at the site in a one-man protest in November 2021.
Dog lover Will Young chained himself to fencing outside the controversial research centre in Huntingdon in November 2021
The singer had one of his hands chained to the gate and the other holding up a placard reading ‘Cambridgeshire. Famous for Beagle torture. Thanks to MBR’
Mr Young was pictured in discussion with a police officer during the protest in Novemebr 2021
A close-up of the handcuff used to padlock himself to the steel gate at the site’s entrance
In July 2021, actor Ricky Gervais called for an ‘immediate ban’ on the testing site.
He told The Times: ‘These experiments are now proven to entirely fail the search for human treatments and cures.’
‘We need an immediate ban on this shocking animal cruelty, which is clearly holding back medical progress.’
Former TOWIE star Gemma Collins was also seen supporting Camp Beagle when she headed to a protest with a banner in February. Love Island’s Faye Winter was also there to show her support.
Animal Rising wants the MBR Acres facility to be shutdown and for the UK government to end animal testing and the sale of animal-tested products by 2025.
The groups wider aims involve changing society towards animal rights and a plant-based food system. They justify their actions due to the impact of animal agriculture on climate change, species extinction and ecosystem breakdown.
Instead they argue for alternatives, such as lab-grown stem cells and advanced computer modelling that should form the next generation of ethical experimentation.
The group was part of a large demonstration at the MBR Acres site on May 25, 2024.
Following the repeated protests, Understanding Animal Research issued a statement on behalf of MBR Acres earlier this month.
Newly-engaged Gemma Collins looked as glamorous as ever as she headed to parliament to campaign against Beagle cruelty in February 2024
Gemma in central London to support The Camp Beagle protest against testing on dogs
Beagles join the protest against animal testing outside Parliament in February 2024
Love Island’s Faye Winter was also there to show her support
It stated: ‘MBR Acres is fully licensed as a specialist laboratory animal breeder that raises dogs to be content in a lab environment.
‘Our lawful business is run in full compliance with Home Office regulations and with our normal high welfare standards.
‘We remain concerned that, often unlawful, protests have continued every day for almost three years now, including extreme, unwarranted harassment and intimidation of our staff and others.
‘Long-time activists with past convictions continue to commit unlawful activities against our business and staff.
‘It is difficult to ignore the fact that, where there is a peaceful protest, a policing presence would not be needed.
‘This has been recognised by the English High Court in London, which issued an ongoing injunction at the site. This injunction remains under constant review and is being enforced vigorously by MBR.
‘We are confident that our democracy will not allow a small minority to jeopardise the possibility of new treatments.
Protesters sat in the road holding signs and blocking traffic outside of MBR Acres in May 2024
Police officers kept a high presence after the road was closed off outside MBR Acres in May
Police officers formed a cordon outside MBR Acres during the demonstration
Hooded protesters stood at the main gate of MBR Acres and held red flares to signify the blood of the puppies inside the factory during the protest
A protester shouted her message while she had ‘Puppy Killer’ written on her cheek during the protest on May 25
Police officers stepped in to move protesters away from the factory fence during the protest
A protester left a beagle mask on top of a bollard above a sign saying ‘Free The Beagles’
A protester held a sign which read ‘Puppy Killers’ as they thrust their arm in the air during the protest on May 25
‘Dog-owners who protest against us should remember that all vaccines, worming tablets, antibiotics and other veterinary treatments that they have given to their pets have been tested on dogs like the ones bred here.
‘Likewise, dogs cannot be used if alternative methods exist, so the price of opposing their use is that new treatment for diseases like cancer and heart disease cannot be developed.
‘While UK research requires us to contribute to the leading development of new medicines to save human and animal lives, we will stay proud to breed animals in the UK.
‘We have allowed filming inside our dog units and have worked with Understanding Animal Research to collate the extensive information on dog experiments that is publicly available on pages available at www.beagle.wiki.’
Supporters of Animal Rising previously rescued five beagles from the facility in June 2022 but the Crown Prosecution Service dropped the burglary charges after two weeks.
Mary Beith uncovered in 1975 that beagles were being used in an experiment to test a new ‘safe’ cigarette.
MailOnline has contacted MBR Acres’s parent company Marshall BioResources for further comment.
