Rough times for Huntingdon Life Sciences

Abstract

UK-based Huntingdon Life Sciences (HLS) research company has been under continuous attack by animal rights campaigners ever since Channel 4 in the UK broadcast a documentary about malpractice at HLS. Fanatical groups such as ‘Stop Huntingdon Animal Cruelty’ (SHAC) are determined to force HLS to close down. Verbal protests started at the company's gates, but later HLS employees were threatened and some were victims of attacks on their homes. Now, the campaigners have found HLS's Achilles heel by ‘blaming-and-shaming’ the companies that finance them, as described in a recent article in the Financial Times. Last year, Philips and Drews sold its interest in HLS after staff and directors received hate mail from activists, and WestLB Panmure withdrew as the company's broker after one of its parties was gatecrashed by the campaigners. Other financers that withdrew were HSBC bank, TD Waterhouse brokers and the Labour Party pension fund. HLS was brought to its knees last month when one of its main financiers, the Royal Bank of Scotland, decided to withdraw their investments. A light in the dark for HLS is the public support by UK Prime Minister Tony Blair and former Prime Minster John Major. Moreover, Reuters reported recently that the Arkansas-based investment firm Stephens Group has provided a loan that covers the gap left by the Royal Bank of Scotland. J.d.B.