Yesterday (25/7/23), at Peterborough Magistrates Court, individuals were found guilty of Aggravated Trespass in relation to actions taken at MBR Acres on 19/6/22. As part of the action, individuals entered the facility with a large banner reading “End Animal Testing” and filmed conditions inside the kennels.
This was the first action Animal Rising (then known as Animal Rebellion) took at the site in 2022, it was followed by the open rescues of 5 beagle puppies on 20/6/22 and 18 beagle puppies on 20/12/22 [1]
No one has been charged for rescuing the dogs kept at the site.
Nine individuals have been found guilty of aggravated trespass after a two-day trial relating to their actions at MBR Acres last June. Eight were sentenced, with the judge handing down punishments ranging from a twelve-month conditional discharge plus £126 court costs up to a £200 fine plus £180 court costs. One individual will return for sentencing next month.
Rosa Sharkey, 23, one of those sentenced yesterday said:
“It’s a shame to see the judiciary siding with an outdated, unnecessary, and cruel industry rather than with nine individuals putting a spotlight on the need to rapidly end all animal testing. We know that using animals for testing has a failure rate as high as 95%, whilst superior alternatives have rapidly developed.
MBR Acres is a prime example of our broken relationship with other animals and the natural world, something we all need to come together and address.”
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.” [2] Reliable alternatives to animal testing include testing on lab-grown stem cells or ‘organs-on-a-chip’ [3].
In 2022, 2.76 million instances of animal testing were recorded in the UK, with 4,122 involving dogs [4]. Other species subject to testing include cats, rats, mice, guinea pigs, rabbits, and monkeys. The procedures often result in vomiting, internal bleeding, organ damage, seizures and death. For those who survive, the tests can last for months, after which the animals are killed regardless [5].
ENDS
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Notes to Editor:
[1] https://animalrebellion.org/animal-freedom-movement-supporters-liberate-5-beagle-puppies-in-a-second-day-of-action-against-mbr-acres-beagle-farm/ and https://www.animalrising.org/post/18-beagle-puppies-freed-from-life-of-suffering-as-rescuers-vow-to-put-animal-testing-on-trial
[2] https://www.hsi.org/news-media/home-office-statistics-reveal-no-decline-in-uk-animal-experiments/
[4] https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/statistics-of-scientific-procedures-on-living-animals-great-britain-2022