Protests over plan to expand ‘beagle factory’

B&K Universal, in the village of Grimston on the Holderness Coast, which was taken over two years ago by US-based Marshall BioResources, has submitted plans to upgrade its facility. They involve demolishing its existing buildings and putting up four new ones, enclosing outside runs where beagles have been kept.

But East Riding Council and three ward councillors have been bombarded with hundreds of emails from around the world after the National Anti-Vivisection Alliance (NAVA) issued a call to oppose the “Marshall UK Beagle Factory.”

Ward councillor Matthew Grove said he’d had to put a filter to stop hundreds of emails, many from Italy, where a massive animal rights campaign was sparked by Marshall’s plans to expand its site in the town of Montichiari. The proposals were rejected by the local council.

Coun Grove said he’d been bemused by the number of emails: “We had to put a filter on – we were getting over 40 an hour until then and now we are probably getting 100 to 200 a day. They are coming from across the world. Very few are coming from this country and none have come from within East Yorkshire.

“I wouldn’t be happy to see an expansion but the proposal is to modernise and redevelop on its current footprint. At the end of the day the facility has been there for many, many years and has employed considerable numbers of people and has existed without their causing significant local concerns or objections.”

NAVA said beagles would be supplied to toxicology research centres and “suffer a painful lingering death.”

The British Union for the Abolition of Vivisection appealed to East Riding Council to reject the application. Sarah Kite, from the BUAV, which argues that there are cheaper, more effective and more humane ways to carry out research, said: “There is strong public concern regarding the use of animals in research, especially dogs. BUAV calls on East Riding residents to voice their concerns to the council and oppose the construction of such a business in its locality.”

The most recent available figures from the Home Office show in 2009, 4,089 beagles were used in 5,864 experiments, most for toxicology research to test substances such as drugs, agricultural and industrial chemicals.

The BUAV says their own investigations have shown that dogs can have substances dripped into their eyes, be force-fed chemicals in capsules or via tubes forced directly into their stomach.

A company spokesman said: “There’s a UK market for beagle dogs in medical research. At the moment a lot of dogs have to be delivered into the UK from outside which is not great for the best animal welfare.

“It is far better they are produced in the UK to UK standards of welfare and care.

“Marshall bought the company in 2009 and stopped the breeding in 2010 because standards weren’t up to their level and they wanted to improve them and that meant rebuilding the facility to higher standards, to improve the conditions for the animals, improve the conditions for people who work in the company and create employment opportunities.”

He said he hoped he wouldn’t see a repeat of demonstrations which the company has had in the past: Animal research has helped in the development of vaccines, organ transplants and treatment for illnesses such as diabetes, leukaemia, Alzheimer’s disease, epilepsy and AIDS.

A council spokesman confirmed the application had been received.