B&K Universal owner defends its work after animal rights protest over alleged dog breeding

Demonstrators gathered outside B&K Universal’s Grimston facility in the Holderness area calling for an end to the breeding of dogs for medical trials.

Jane Rose, one of those who attended the demonstration, said protesters objected to the “horrific” tests, claiming they were taking place despite evidence questioning their effectiveness.

But a spokesperson for Marshall BioResources (MBR Acres), which owns the Grimston site, said demonstrators’ allegations of breeding at the Grimston site were “untrue”.

They added company dogs bred elsewhere were “critical” to medical trials and that they abide by Home Office regulations.

It comes as protesters, some with Animal Rebellion which organised the demonstration, bore placards with slogans including: ‘End animal Experiments’ and ‘Animals are here with us, not for us’.

The Grimston protest, which lasted around half a day, took place as demonstrators also gathered outside an MBR Acres facility in Cambridgeshire.

Both demonstrations come as the For Life on Earth charity has pushed for an Early Day Motion in Parliament calling for independent hearings on the future of animal testing in the UK.

Comedian Ricky Gervais and actor Peter Egan are among the celebrities which have backed the campaign.

Demonstrations were previously held at the Grimston facility from 2013 to 2015 against plans to expand it.

Company planning applications were refused at their East Riding Council hearing but the decision was later overturned on appeal.

Protester Ms Rose said the testing was “truly awful”.

She said: “Despite the mounting scientific evidence that animal testing does not produce results, the government still allow companies to profit from carrying out horrific tests on animals.

“Beagle puppies are basically poisoned and discarded on a relentless conveyor belt.”

A MBR spokesperson said its staff were trained and tasked with breeding “healthy and content” animals, but they added the facility had been falsely targeted as breeding did not take place there.

The spokesperson said: “The UK is a leader in biomedical research and vaccine development and our work at both MBR Acres and B&K is critical to human and veterinary medical progress.

“We do not carry out research ourselves, but we supply laboratory bred animals to other facilities so that potential medicines can be safety-tested before they are given to volunteers in clinical trials, as required by law.

“As a breeder of research animals, we are regulated and routinely inspected by the Home Office which upholds strict laws around building standards and animal welfare.

“We fully respect that protesters have a right to peacefully protest provided that it is conducted lawfully. Equally, everyone has a right to be able to go to work in a peaceful manner without being harassed.

“Our staff, who are fully trained animal care professionals whose sole task is to raise healthy and content animals, are unfortunately receiving abuse from certain protesters as they come into and leave work to care for our dogs.

“Protesters wanted to duplicate the Cambridgeshire protest at our B&K facility claiming we are breeding dogs there as well. This is untrue.

“We will continue to run our operations in full compliance with Home Office regulations and with our normal high welfare standards.

“We remain proud of what we do every day because our work allows the progress of medicine to save millions of human and animal lives.”