Closure of Darley Oaks guinea pig farm announced

Darley Oaks guinea pig farm in Staffordshire, UK, run by the Hall family, is to stop breeding guinea pigs for biomedical research. The business will shut down at the end of December.

The principal members that run the farm are nearing retirement but a long and sustained campaign of intimidation by animal rights extremists has contributed to this decision.

Dr Philip Wright, the ABPI's director of science and technology, said the decision was 'regrettable but understandable'.

Dr Wright added: 'The activities of a few animal rights extremists have placed impossible pressure on those going about their legitimate business. While animal rights extremists are likely to be only one factor in the final decision, it does underline the need for greater protection of those individuals and companies targeted, and committed long-term resources from the government to back up the recently-introduced legislation.'

Guinea pigs from the farm have been used in the development of treatments for respiratory diseases such as asthma. The ABPI said that while new technologies and techniques will lead to the replacement of animals in this research, the current use of animals remains essential.

It added that the closure of the breeding facilities makes such research investment in the UK, which has some of the strictest animal welfare rules in the world, less likely.