Because her daughter was married to a man who owned a share in a farm that bred guinea pigs for medical research…

… The incident was the trump card in a campaign of abuse and intimidation by animal rights extremists. For six years, the family that ran the farm and those connected to them had been subjected to death threats, hate mail, malicious phone calls, hoax bombs and arson attacks. Suppliers were similarly targeted: one was hit by a brick thrown through a window and endured an anonymous campaign that he was a paedophile.

But the theft of Gladys Hammond’s remains was the last straw. After 30 years of breeding guinea pigs, the family decided to stop.

The Age, 14th December 2005

The article then points out that the activities of the ARE are not stopping the use of animals in research – their avowed aim – but encouraging UK research to move to other countries. Since the UK is the most tightly regulated system in the world, by definition research conducted elsewhere will be under lighter legislative control.

Strange then that the closure of Darley Oaks should have been hailed as a victory by ARE – instead of lab animals being covered by the most stringent laws in the world, they may soon have less protection.