An Eastenders star was among a number of celebrities to join Camp Beagle at its peaceful demonstration outside Parliament on Monday (Apil 28).
Demonstrators gathered ahead of a Westminster Hall debate of the group's petition calling for an immediate ban on the use of dogs in scientific and regulatory procedures.
It comes just two days after five activists were arrested after around 300 protestors gathered outside MBR Acres in Wyton, near Huntingdon, to protest at the animal breeding facility on Saturday (April 26).
It was organised by Camp Beagle to coincide with World Day for Animals in Laboratories which was established in 1979 and falls on April 24.
The longest running and permanent grassroots animal rights protest camp in the UK, Camp Beagle activists have maintained a presence outside MBR Acres 24/7 since July 2021.
The group's spokesperson John Curtin described Saturday's protest as the "biggest demonstration against animal experiments that his county has seen for decades."
Celebrities at the Westminster demonstration included actor Jessie Wallace, who plays Kat Slater in Eastenders, TikTok sensation Kyle Thomas and Love Island star Faye Winter.
The parliamentary debate was held at 4.30pm after the group's petition gained more than 230,000 signatures after it was launched on February 14.
Hosted on the UK Government and Parliament Petitions website and set up by Maria Iriart, the petition reads: "As a first step to end animal testing, we want an immediate ban for dogs.
"They are commercially bred in what we see as bleak and inhumane factory-like conditions.
"We believe there is evidence suggesting that dogs are left being unattended for extended periods in a government-licenced establishment."
In a statement, the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology said international guidance "still requires data from animal testing to ensure the safety of medicines and products before testing on humans".
It added: "While the use of animals in science, including for human medicines, generates significant debate, the carefully regulated use of animals in scientific research remains necessary to protect humans, animal health and the wider environment.
"The government therefore does not agree to immediately ban the use of dogs for testing and research purposes in the UK."
MBR Acres, owned by US corporation Marshall Bioresources, operates at an eight-acre site on Sawtry Way.
Its operations were largely unknown until footage was obtained in 2021 of beagles on site, which prompted regular protests outside the facility and lead to the formation of Camp Beagle.
MBR Acres says it breeds animals and supplies dogs to licensed laboratories or businesses for the purpose of animal testing and research.
Its website adds that the company is "dedicated to maintaining high standards of animal welfare".
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