18 Animal Rising supporters attended Cambridge Magistrates Court yesterday [25/07/24], pleading not guilty to burglary charges.
The charges relate to the rescue of 20 beagle puppies on 20 December 2022 from MBR Acres, a Cambridgeshire breeding facility that supplies up to 2000 beagle puppies a year to the animal testing industry. Two of the 20 puppies were captured and returned by the police while 18 went to safe homes for life.[1]
Animal Rising has said they intend for the upcoming court proceedings to “put animal testing on trial”, and those on trial requested the case be taken to the Crown Court, in front of a jury, rather than at the Magistrates Court.
Second plea hearings will now be heard at Cambridge Crown Court over 20-23 August.
Prior to the December rescue, Animal Rising supporters freed 5 beagles from the facility in June of 2022, with burglary charges dropped by the Crown Prosecution Service after 2 weeks.[2] All defendants from both rescues handed themselves over to the police voluntarily.
Dan Kidby, Animal Rising Co-Founder and Co-Director said of the proceedings:
“In 2022 Animal Rising saved the lives of 23 beagle puppies in total, to widespread public support. No animal should face a life of terror and suffering in a laboratory, and the increase in ethical, reliable alternatives shows this torture has no place in the 21st century.
MBR Acres are scared to face public scrutiny, but people deserve to know what happens behind closed doors in animal testing. By taking this case to the Crown Courts, we aim to put the whole cruel, obsolete animal testing industry on trial.”
The site, MBR Acres, is responsible for breeding around 2,000 beagles each year to be sold for animal testing at 16 weeks old. The company also holds ‘bleeding licences’ which allow them to bleed healthy dogs to death to harvest their blood and organs [3]. 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 [4].
Dr Lindsay Marshall, biomedical science advisor to the Humane Society International UK recently stated “The UK cannot expect to have world-leading science innovation whilst we rely on failing animal-based research methods that are rooted in the past.” [5] Reliable alternatives to animal testing include testing on lab-grown stem cells or ‘organs-on-a-chip’ [6].
Animal Rising is a social movement to create a new relationship with all beings and give us a chance for a safe ecological future. The group primarily calls for the transition to a secure and sustainable plant-based food system, alongside a mass rewilding programme.
ENDS
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Notes To The Editor:
[5] https://www.hsi.org/news-media/home-office-statistics-reveal-no-decline-in-uk-animal-experiments/