In the UK annually, approximately 4,000 Beagle dogs are used for “research” purposes. You can find this fact online in many places if you look for it. What you can’t find, is where and how those dogs are bred and the mechanics of an operation of that scale. In no other sphere is there a precedent for keeping over 1,000 dogs all together at any one time.
Hidden in Plain Sight
Deep in the Cambridgeshire countryside, hidden behind a derelict farmhouse is a 7 acre site concealed behind a ditch, a hedge, 8 foot perimeter fence with 3 coils of razor wire, double air lock gates and 24 hour manned security, comprising a series of low buildings classed as ‘Agricultural buildings’ containing ‘livestock’ and described by the Highways as a ‘Poultry Farm’. It isn’t.
It’s a factory that produces 100% of the Beagles used in British animal experimentation and contract testing laboratories and yet excluded from the monopolies legislation.
The numbers are murky and trying to validate the figures is hard because the Home Office (HO) rely on the facilities to keep their own logs and records and self report.
“We’re taking over. Kill all the dogs”
Marshall BioResources acquired this site from Harlan UK, another puppy breeder. But because MBR have their ‘Marshall Beagle’ trademarked model of Beagle dog, just like it’s a patented manufactured product, they did not take on the existing ‘stock’ of Beagles. They produce dogs to ‘customer requirements’ and prepared to order with their vocal chords cut so scientists aren’t distracted from their work by crying babies.
On takeover, Marshall BioResources had all 2,000 of the Harlan puppies killed. They may have even bled them to death first and sold their blood to scientists who want to make the world a better place. Known as ‘terminal bleeds’ or ‘live donor bleeds’, they are a standard industry practice. See ‘Blood Sucking‘.
Only through Freedom of Information requests has it been pieced together that the new MBR colony was started with 364 Marshall Beagle bitches flown in from the USA.
Caesarean Sections to Meet Order Deadline
It was discovered from the HO Inspectorate reports that one of the site’s ongoing challenges, like any commercial enterprise is managing supply and demand. If an order for puppies cannot be fulfilled due to puppy shortages, they are allowed to perform forced caesarean sections on pregnant bitches to cut the pups out early to meet that customer order. The number of these caesarean sections per month is recorded by the HO inspectors.
Like Burger King, Have it Your Way.
We know that the dogs are weaned quickly and can be selectively bred with inherited genetic conditions or created sterile to order as well to save contaminating a ‘customers’ test subject. This means they are separated and kept alone, isolated until shipped to the research facility.