The campaign to close down Highgate Farm, in Lincolnshire, who breed rabbits and ferrets for vivisection laboratories nationwide has intensified into a national campaign to shut the business down once and for all. Below is a time lime an summary of events that have occurred against Geoffrey Douglas and Highgate Farm, along with a little summary of the business and their dirty dealings.

Highgate Farm, based in the Lincolnshire village of Normanby-by-Spital, operate a several breeding sheds in which rabbits and ferrets are intensively reared so as to send to vivisection laboratories across the country. Animals are shipped to these labs via 'courier' services from B&K Universal Ltd (The Field Station, Grimston, Aldborough, East Riding of Yorkshire, HU11 4QE // Tel: (0)1964 527555 //  info@bku.com // Gerrald Christopher Bantin MD -  gerryb@bku.com) and are their agent for sales of rabbits in the UK, following the end of their breeding operations in Spain, mainland Europe and the USA following increased security costs due to animal rights activist pressure. Highgate's clients include Huntingdon Life Sciences, the University of Birmingham, Procter and Gamble, Intervet UK and others.


On 6th Jan 2008, Highgate Farm was raided by the Animal Liberation Front ( http://www.directaction.info/news_jan09_08.htm), during which 129 rabbits were rescued and economic sabotage was committed. The farm closed down for several months, with three quarters of a million pounds in repairs to sort out.

On October 13th 2008, four activists were arrested in what Lincolnshire CID claimed to be a recce to cause criminal damage and interfere with the contractual relationships of Highgate Farm and their clients. From there, the farm was down in the books of anti-vivisection activists and the ALF nationwide. Three of the four were given one year sentences, the other got a not-guilty charge.

Stop Huntingdon Animal Cruelty announced shortly before October 2009 that they were launching a campaign to close down Highgate Farm, with a national demonstration occuring. The Animal Liberation Front (ALF) struck again and conducted the following actions in response:

- Procter & Gamble advertisements attacked in response to their purchasing of rabbits from Highgate Farm ( http://www.directaction.info/news_july30b_09.htm)
- Spray painting on the roads around the Market Rasen area about those who own the farm ( http://www.directaction.info/news_july31b_09.htm)


Subsequently at the end of July 2009, land outside the farm was occupied by activists in a seven day long protest camp, calling for the business to close its doors and end involvement with the vivisection industry ( http://www.indymedia.org.uk/en/2009/07/435203.html)

On the 26th September 2009, the Animal Liberation Front struck again with what was described as "A stark message has been sent by post...". At the same time, 350 people turned up outside the farm for a national demonstration, dubbed "Operation Liberation" aiming to shut down Geoffrey Douglas and Highgate Farm.

Since then, regular demonstrations have occurred outside the farm premises. Even Christmas Day was not avoided, with activists chanting on megaphones outside the farm and letting the Douglas family know there is no peace for the animals, so they will get no peace ( http://www.shac.net/news/2009/december/25-29.html).

The demonstrations continue outside Highgate Farm until they close down. This week, Lewis Pogson has been sentenced to three years imprisonment following the initial raid which highlighted the existence of Highgate Farm and also brought on the national campaign to shut them down.

The message is clear. If we need to start another Newchurch, we will, but at the end of it Highgate Farm WILL close down and those animals on site WILL be liberated.