11 January 2001
 Tesco Caught Up In HLS Demos |
Stop Huntingdon Animal Cruelty (SHAC),
the organisation that has long campaigned against the vivisection contract research firm
Huntingdon Life Sciences (HLS)
and its investors, is to target the
Royal Bank of Scotland
and
Tesco.
Cambridgeshire based HLS which carries out pre-clinical and non-clinical testing for pharmaceutical, cosmetic, and engineering firms was granted numerous extensions last year by RBS and other lenders on repayment of loans worth £22m. SHAC, who has protested against RBS at each extension, announced that if the situation went beyond January 5, it would restart its campaign with renewed vigour. RBS has just granted HLS another 2 week extension. SHAC has also announced that it is planning to hold "peaceful but very noisy, very visual and very effective" rallies outside Tesco stores. Tesco finds itself drawn in as a result of its Tesco's Personal Finance (TPF) products which are a joint venture with RBS. Among these products TPF offers monthly premium pet insurance provided by Direct Line Insurance plc. We understand from SHAC that the Tesco stores protests are due to start at the beginning of February. This article may be reproduced with permission of the author and correct attribution to the source. |