Highgate Farm Protest Camp

IMC UK Features | 01.08.2009 00:47 | SHAC | Animal Liberation

On Monday 27th July, activists occupied land near the entrance of Highgate Rabbit Farm, in Lincolnshire, in protest against their breeding of rabbits and ferrets for the vivisection industry. Highgate Farm supply several university and commercial laboratories, including Huntingdon Life Sciences (HLS). In conjunction with Stop Huntingdon Animal Cruelty (SHAC) the campers are holding a peaceful protest, calling on the closure of the farm, and for the farmer to hand the animals over to a suitable organisation for rehoming.

The protest has recieved positive coverage on the front page of the local newspaper and support from locals who put up Highgate Farm posters in local villages for the upcoming national demonstration. This caused a Stafford police officer to express concerns that it may be the beginning of "the new Newchurch", begging campers not to visit the now guarded farm during the night. In reponse, Ian Caswell from South Yorkshire FIT team made an appearance, the council threatened an eviction (that was subsequently retracted), and a police helicopter hovered over the camp.

During Wednesday night, a shot rabbit with a rope tied around their neck was then thrown at the camp from the direction of the farm, which is now under investigation by CID. Protesters have therefore called for more people to come and support the camp after extending it past Friday.

Links: Background info about the Highgate campaign | SHAC topic page

If you can make it to the camp for any period of time, please ring the camp number: 07941184529 The farm is located at: Highgate Farm, Highgate lane, Normanby-by-Spital, Market Rasen, Lincolnshire, LN8 2HQ. Click here for a map and directions.

There are several ways you can support the action:

• You can telephone the farm on: 01673 878259 and 01673 878 232.
• You can attend the camp to protest - whether it is for an hour, a day or a week your presence would be greatly appreciated.
• You can write to the farm at the address above.
• You can attend the national protest on the 26th September (click here for details)

Please keep all communications to the farm informative and polite. The purpose of your correspondence is to urge them to stop breeding animals for vivisection, and to allow the animals to be rehomed.

Previous features: Operation Liberation: Highgate Rabbit Farm | Largest Shareholder Barclays and Top Investors Dump HLS | World Day for Animals in Laboratories March | SHAC supporter unlawfully arrested at Barclays Bank | SHAC Shakedown City Investors | Top HLS Investors Dump Shares | HLS Exposed - Yet Again! SHAC To Shakedown Financial Investors In The City | 50 Years For The UK SHAC 7 | Anti-vivisection campaigners convicted of blackmail | Largest HLS Investor Dumps All Shares | SHAC Prepares For National March & Rally | Victory for animal rights campaigners | Activist Imprisoned for Shouting | Fisher Scientific Embarrassed Over Links with HLS | SHAC World Day for Lab Animals | Asahi Glass Protesters Harassed by Police | "March Against the Murderers"

IMC UK Features

Comments

Hide the following 12 comments

Don't forget our Prisoners

01.08.2009 07:16

£70,000 rabbit farm damage charge
Wednesday, November 12, 2008, 07:30

A man has appeared in court accused of causing more than £70,000 damage at a Lincolnshire rabbit farm which was targeted by animal rights protesters.

He faces charges of blackmail, burglary and criminal damage at Highgate Farm, Normanby-by-Spital, in January this year.

The 22-year-old also faces a further charge of interfering with a contractual relationship so as to harm an animal research establishment and four conspiracy charges.

A total of 129 rabbits were stolen and a large amount of damage was caused during a raid at the farm overnight on January 6 and 7.

The damage included vehicles being smashed up and Animal Liberation Front graffiti daubed on walls.

Highgate Farm has been targeted by animal rights groups because it supplies rabbits used in testing by the research company Huntingdon Life Sciences.

He did not enter a plea and was remanded in custody until January 9 after an application for bail was refused.

Background Watch

He's not a prisoner

01.08.2009 12:50

He is out on bail - has been for a while. For currently prisoner listings please check

http://directaction.info/prisoners.htm.

Steve Discombe

Let's get this farm shut down!

01.08.2009 16:46

ALF raid Highgate Rabbit Farm - video/x-ms-wmv 3.4M

From the other feature:

http://www.indymedia.org.uk/en/2009/07/435188.html

"The closing down of Highgate would be a major victory for the anti-vivisection movement. Highgate is one of only nine known remaining breeders of animals for laboratories in the UK. During the 1990s, campaigners successfully closed Oxford University Park Farm, Regal Rabbits, Sky Commercial Rabbit Farm, Shamrock farm, Consort Beagles, Hylyne Rabbits and Hillgrove Cat Farm. Darley Oaks guinea pig farm was also closed in 2006."

This is also the LAST FARM supplying rabbits and ferrets for the vivisection industry, without this business it would cost labs lots more to purchase these animals from abroad (similar to the difficulty in getting a variety of other species, such as guinea pigs). Therefore making vivisection more costly and less profitable.

veg@n

How do you know he's out?

01.08.2009 17:05

He's not on that list - last news was that he had been refused bail - that was before the trail of the other 4.

Prisoner

He is out so can we

01.08.2009 17:13

......was granted bail on a number of conditions, including the lodging of a £50,000 security, a night-time curfew and residence at his mother's address in West Dulwich, London.

The hearing, at Lincoln Crown Court, was adjourned for trial later this year.

Move on...

He is out

01.08.2009 17:28

There isn't much else to say. His trial is unrelated to the other four (only one of them went to trial). Since last December he has been granted bail. If someone is not on the prisoner lists it is either because they are not a prisoner or because they currently do not want support for personal reasons.

It's nice that you are thinking of him though - I'm sure he will be pleased! The people who are on the prisoner list would love your support so send them a letter!

Steve Discombe

Is it all over now ?

02.08.2009 16:10

When is the next one?

Latecomer

It is over...

03.08.2009 10:52

This camp has ended after 7 days. It was supposed to be 5, but there was so much support it was extended over the weekend!

There are plans afoot for more such actions - for obvious reasons they won't be advertised in advance, but when they are set up they will be posted here and on the SHAC website.

Thanks everyone for all the support!

...for now
Homepage: http://www.shac.net

Slogans painted against Highgate rabbit farm

03.08.2009 22:49

received anonymously:

"The writing on the roads makes a come back from Newchurch Farm!

A fortnight ago around the Market Rasen area slogans were painted against those who own and run Highgate rabbit farm.

'Douglas Family Bunny Butchers' 'Douglas Animal Abusers' and more.

Animal Liberation Front"

Bite Back Magazine
Homepage: http://www.directaction.info

ridiculous

05.08.2009 18:30

I can't believe 1) this camp and philosophy ( with all the problems in the world THIS is the most important?? ) 2) that Indymedia put it top of the page!

ffs

To ffs

05.08.2009 20:17

No one has said that this is "the most important issue in the world". That doesn't however mean we shouldn't campaign against anything other than whatever it is you believe to be "the most important issue in the world".

And the reason that it is at the top is because it is the most recent story... as you would know if you had been on Indymedia before...

Steve Discombe

To FFS

06.08.2009 11:14

Er who the hell do you think you are? Did it ever cross your mind that those of us at the camp have actually campaigned on other issues as well? No-one needs your permission to decide whether something is important enough to protest about. The murder of thousands of innocent lives and the profiteering of big business using animal tests as an alibi to ply dangerous products such as pesticides, GMOs and some medications are all good enough reasons to protest. Go and do whatever it is you do and stop whinging about other people or maybe leave your details up so that activists can ask you in advance about whether proposed campaigns meet with your approval.

Lynn Sawyer