Camp Beagle
Camp Beagle is an ongoing protest camp set up in June 2021 by animal rights activists outside of MBR Acres, a breeding facility for beagles used in laboratory research, in Wyton, Cambridgeshire. As of May 2024, It is the longest-lasting protest camp of its kind, where protesters have maintained a permanent presence with the demand to shutdown the facility and end the use of beagles for research purposes.
Background
MBR Acres is owned by the American company Marshall BioResources. Up to 2,000 beagles are bred at the facility each year. They are sold at the age of around 16 weeks to be used for drugs and chemical testing. Since 2020, protests have been held around the facility by animal rights activists.History
2021
The camp was first set up in June 2021. Footage of dogs from the facility published by the Daily Mirror led to increased support of the campaign. The protesters argue that the facility is factory farming beagles. MBR issued a statement saying that the protesters are misinformed and that breeding of animals is essential for medical research. The statement also stated that the facility is both regulated and frequently inspected by the Home Office which enforces strict laws around animal welfare in research facilities.Actors Ricky Gervais and Peter Egan have voiced their support for the facility to be closed down. In August, The Times published a letter signed by in support of MBR Acres and its contribution to medical research to nineteen scientific societies and organizations.
On 28 August, Camp Beagle coordinated a protest with Animal Rebellion at Smithfield Market in London. 15 activists were arrested on 31 August for "suspected obstruction of the highway or of criminal damage." Following a High Court injunction hearing instigated by MBR Acres, it was ruled, on 5 October, that the camp was allowed to remain, with the provision that activists must remain at least 10 metres from the gates.
In October, a Freedom of Information Request revealed that Cambridgeshire Constabulary spent from 27 June to 14 September 2021 on policing the camp. According to protesters, "more than 40 officers and 10 police vans" were used during a day of transportation in October. The following month, the singer Will Young handcuffed himself to the gates of the facility, describing the facility as a "puppy farm".