Beagles Protest Lab Supplier’s Dog-Breeding

Standing in formation, wearing beagle masks and holding signs that read, “NO to Grimston Beagle Farm”, PETA supporters participated in an eye-catching demonstration in Bristol. They were demanding that the Bristol-based Planning Inspectorate refuse permission for B&K Universal to build a facility that would breed hundreds of dogs to be sold for deadly experiments in the UK and abroad.

B&K Universal is owned by US-based animal laboratory supplier Marshall Farms, which has been cited repeatedly by US authorities for animal welfare violations. Their proposed facilities at Grimston in Yorkshire would have no outside access for the dogs; a recent exposé of a similar UK dog-breeding facility revealed that the dogs were let out of their barren cages for only 20 minutes per week.

Dogs are used mainly for toxicity testing in the UK, in which they are repeatedly poisoned with experimental drugs and harsh chemicals, including pesticides. This factory farm for dogs wouldn’t just breed puppies for toxic chemical tests in the UK – it would also likely sell dogs overseas to countries where animals in laboratories have even less protection than they do here. B&K’s application has already been turned down by the local council, but they are now trying to have this overturned.