Protesters target lab firm customer

Activists gather outside Huntingdon Life Sciences

Animal rights protesters plan to target Japan's third biggest pharmaceutical firm Yamanouchi in the latest round of their campaign against drug testing lab Huntingdon Life Sciences.

We are going down the list of people who...have interests in Huntingdon Life Sciences

Spokesman for Stop Huntingdon Animal Cruelty

Members of Stop Huntingdon Animal Cruelty (SHAC) were planning to demonstrate outside Yamanouchi's Oxford site on Tuesday, as the group turns its sights on customers of the controversial animal lab.

The protesters claim Yamanouchi used the Huntingdon lab to carry out experiments on dogs.

The campaign to target customers runs parallel to action against Huntingdon's financial backers which has forced the retreat of many of the City of London's best known firms.

Rooftop protests

Last week, SHAC activists occupied the roof of offices of broker Charles Schwab Europe in Birmingham, and held protests at the firm's London branch.

Schwab later announced it was severing links with the research firm.

The financial institution was Huntingdon's last big private client stockbroker for its shares following last month's withdrawal by its two remaining market makers following threats from activists.

On Tuesday UK broker TD Waterhouse also said it would no longer deal in shares in Huntingdon Life Sciences after a sustained campaign against it which saw offices in Manchester, Leeds and Bradford being repeatedly raided, and staff threatened.

Commenting on the Yamanouchi protest, a SHAC spokesman said: "Because there has been some slipping by the wayside and some people have dis-invested themselves, we are going down the list of people who do have interests in Huntingdon Life Sciences."

Further demonstrations are planned the spokesman added.

Huntingdon Life Sciences declined to comment on the protests.

Yamanouchi said it was aware of the action but would not comment further.

US financiers launched a financial rescue plan in January.