Dog breeding facility MBR Acres has today released this image of graffiti they say has been spray painted on the home of a staff member.

A spokesperson for the company said staff have been "shouted at and harassed daily" as they arrive and leave work by people outside the gates of the firm at Wyton.

"Dogs are raised especially to be used in research so they are healthy and happy in a lab environment, continued the spokesperson.

"They are kept in social groups in conditions that are strictly controlled and inspected by the Home Office.

The spokesperson added: “It seems strange to us that protesters would go to these lengths, all inspired by what they wrongly think the conditions inside MBR are like, or what they incorrectly believe happens in medical and veterinary research.

“Using animals in cosmetics testing was banned in the UK in 1998, and testing household cleaners was banned in 2010. Fewer than 10 dogs are used each year for testing chemicals, with the rest being used to test potential new medicines and treatments for humans and other animals. All of this information is freely available on the Home Office website.

“The vast majority of dogs in research are used to develop human and animal medicines, usually in mild experiments, and untold amounts of suffering has been treated or prevented as a direct result. Animals cannot be used if there is an alternative, by law. If an animal is used, it is because the regulatory authorities recognise that there is no non-animal way of doing the research. The campaigners are putting two and two together and getting five but, as their false claims are disproven, they simply pivot to a new myth.