Protest against animal testing to take place in Chichester
and live on Freeview channel 276
The protest comes alongside a national day of action organised by Camp Beagle, an organisation founded specifically to shut down Marshall Bioresources: an international provider of ‘purpose-bred animals for biomedical research and related services.’
The eighty-year-old company claims it is ‘dedicated to maintaining high standards of animal welfare’. A statement on animal welfare reads: “We greatly respect and appreciate the role our animals continue to play in the development of life saving discoveries, medicines and treatments for humans and animals alike. Therefore, we believe our animals deserve the best possible treatment and care we can provide.”
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Hide AdProtestors taking part in tomorrow’s event, however, disagree. The protest zeroes in on the breeding of beagles for toxicity testing, claiming Marshall Bioresources breeds 2,000 dogs every year for experimentation.
The event will take place on East Street, and protestors will be urging members of the public to sign a government petition llegalising commercial breeding for laboratories.
“A lot of people think this sort of thing stopped in the UK a long time ago, but it didn’t,” said protestor Steve Ferrett. “Fortunately, Camp Beagle has done an amazing job of exposing this world and some real breakthroughs are happening, we just need to get people to sign this petition.”
To make their point, protestors like Mr Ferrett will be using footage unearthed by Camp Beagle, which demonstrates the often brutal reality of the tests performed on laboratory animals.
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Hide Ad"For the first time, we’re going to have TV screens showing footage of what actually happens to these animals and it’s really not pretty,” he said.
“There are much more efficient ways of doing things (than animal testing). They're more effective, more accurate and they don't result in the exploitation of animals."Mr Ferrett is aware that footage might prove controversial but, he said, that’s part of the point. More than anything else, Camp Beagle protestors are hoping to open up a dialogue and inspire action.
"We always say to people that are really upset by it, that they are upset because the footage is upsetting. And if they feel that way, they should sign the petition and help put a stop to these practices.”