Hillgrove Farm in Oxford, England breeds cats for vivisection. Some of these cats are exported to the other side of the world (including Australia)… The following report is from Issue 4 (March/April 1998) of The Hillgrove Campaign newsletter:

February 22nd saw over a thousand people converge on Hillgrove Farm in a show of strength unparalleled in the campaign's history.

As Thames Valley Police declare themselves allied to Farmer Brown, with cosy chats in the police station and handshakes all round our resolve hardens. We will win! This was the overwhelming feeling on the day. We are going from strength to strength.

For many people this was their first demonstration and soon they were chanting and shouting messages to Brown who cowered inside.

Drums and hunting horns were in evidence together with a couple of megaphones and it soon became clear that noise was the key motivator and the thing that lifts people's spirits.

As people congregated around the back of the farm some protesters tried to breach the police lines and gain access to the cats imprisoned inside.

Several times fences were pulled down and the police were forced to retreat. As usual, Thames Valley had called in all available 'man' power, from their own and neighbouring forces. As the police bill exceeds half a million pounds we can reveal that for less than that, Thames Valley could have bought out Brown, lock, stock and barrel, perhaps that would have been a more economic use of public funds.

Police brutality again ensured that even more of the tax paying population of Oxfordshire witnessed how their money was spent.

One protester was trampled by a police horse.

Reverend Thompson from North Wales attended the demo, speaking from the heart when he said that it was ok to break the law when the law is wrong.

In spite of the policing the demonstrators remained in control, marching on Witney and arriving at the police station to be met by a lot of very alarmed police officers!