| Camp Beagle | |
| Date: | June 2021 – ongoing |
| Place: | MBR Acres, Wyton, Cambridgeshire, England |
| Causes: | Animal rights activists opposing the breeding of beagles for research |
| Goals: | Closure of the facility and end of the use of Beagles in research. |
| Methods: | Protest camp, protest, Civil disobedience |
| Status: | Ongoing |
| Arrests: | At least 15 |
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.[1] As of May 2024, It is the longest-lasting protest camp of its kind, where protesters have maintained a permanent presence,[2] [3] as they want the site to be closed down.[4]
MBR Acres is owned by the American company Marshall BioResources (MBR).[5] 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.[6] Since 2020, protests have been held around the facility by animal rights movements.[7]
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 has 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.[8] In August 2021 The Times Newspaper published a letter signed by in support of MBR Acres and its contribution to medical research nineteen scientific societies and organizations.[9]
On 28 August, Camp Beagle coordinated a protest with Animal Rebellion at Smithfield Market in London.[10]
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.[11]
In October 2021, a Freedom of Information Request revealed that Cambridge 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".[12]
In December 2022, activists from Animal Rebellion freed 18 beagles from the facility.[13] Two beagles known as Libby and Love – that were recovered by police – were later returned to the facility, and 14 people were arrested as part of an investigation into burglary and aggravated trespass at the site.[14] In July 2023, nine campaigners were found guilty of aggravated trespass, and were given conditional discharges or fines. The Crown Prosecution Service otherwise dropped charges of burglary against 12 people, stating that "the legal test for going ahead had not been met".[15]
On 25 May 2024, an estimated 400–500 protesters descended upon the camp, as part of a protest billed as 'Operation 1,000', in an attempt to attract 1,000 protesters to the camp. Cambridgeshire police closed the nearby road due to the number of demonstrators in attendance.