As early as 2013 we discussed why it made sense, from an animal welfare perspective, for the UK to approve the expansion of the B&K beagle breeding facility. The UK currently imports 20% of dogs used in research (the rest are bred at UK breeding facilities). The expanded facility in Hull hopes to reduce the numbers bred abroad, reducing the number of animals bred far away from the UK Home Office inspectors, and which must endure long flights at a young age to reach their destination. The Oppose B&K campaign, now joined by a number of other high profile animal rights groups, has fought the decision in the courts and through protests on the streets, but in July 2015, planning for the expanded breeding facility was approved by the Government. Since then, there has been a rash of protests and petitions.

We wrote an article shortly after the decision to explain why we thought people were wrong to oppose the new breeding facility, saying:

Surely it is better to breed them here in the UK, where we have some of the highest standards of laboratory animal welfare in the world and where our facilities can be easily monitored by the Animals in Science Regulation Unit inspectors? The new breeding facility offers animal welfare standards above and beyond those demanded by the Government. Dogs will be kept in socially housed groups in multi-level pens which can be joined together to create larger runs for the animals. All the animals will have toys and enrichment in their enclosures, and will interact with trained laboratory technicians every day. It is this sort of investment in animal welfare we, as an animal-loving nation, should embrace

An official UK Government e-petition (which demands email verification and address details) reached 15,000 signatures (compared with around 500,00 for a change.org petition which can be more easily manipulated). This prompted an official response from the Government. It is excellent, and well worth a read:

The use of animals, including dogs, in research is a vital tool for the development of new medicines and technologies. In order to ensure animals are protected, we have a rigorous regulatory system.