Southern Animal Rights Coalition

The Southern Animal Rights Coalition (SARC) was an umbrella organisation for groups campaigning against animal abuse in southern England. It was founded by Tom Harris (also known as Tattoo Tom) and Nicola Tapping. SARC campaigned on a variety of issues, including animal testing, furs, wild boar farms, puppy farming, foie gras and greyhound racing. The group campaigned, investigated and exposed animal cruelty whilst promoting a cruelty-free lifestyle.
The coalition supported animal rights groups in the south of England, particularly those in the following counties; Cornwall, Devon, Dorset, Hampshire, Somerset, West Sussex and Wiltshire as well as working with other regional networks.
Campaign history
Wickham Laboratories
Following a 2003 animal liberation raid on Wickham Laboratories, in which Keith Mann, Melvyn Glintenkamp and unknown colleagues removed 695 mice, SARC launched a campaign against the facility. After seeing paper work taken during the raid, SARC claimed that some of the tests being carried out were illegal as they were being conducted for cosmetic Botox.
Lobster Liberation Front
SARC were sent messages in July 2004 by a group calling itself the Lobster Liberation Front (LLF) to claim responsibility for a campaign of vandalism aimed at a lobster fisherman in Dorset. The group later spread to Wales, Scotland, Italy, Spain, and Turkey.The groups methods include liberating lobsters and sabotaging lobster pots or fishing boats. The website was again used by the LLF in April 2005 to claim responsibility for further attacks on a fishermen's nets in Dorset. SARC founder Tom Harris appeared on Channel 5 News to defend the actions.
Pet shops
In 2006 a campaign called "Prosecute Porter" was launched and coordinated against Furry Friends pet shop in Barnham, West Sussex. The owner Phil Porter was breeding animals for his pet shop on an old fuel depot owned by the MoD. Evidence of animal cruelty was obtained during a raid by SARC activists including Sarah Whitehead, during which birds, rabbits, rats, guinea pigs and 12 dogs, were removed. SARC claimed that dogs were being confined to veal crates and that animals were being kept in filthy conditions.
Inspectory Lamport (RSPCA) said of the conditions, "The whole area was dirty and unhygienic and teaming with flies. These conditions would have contravened the Five Freedoms and would have been an unacceptable standard of keeping them." Phil Porter, who sold the animals, defended the conditions, showing concern for the baby rabbits left behind and the stress caused to his dog by the smashed window. Judge John Sessions noted, "Particular concerns were lack of cleanliness and questions over the sufficiency of water and food."
After the animals had been removed from the breeding facility SARC continued to hold protests at the pet store and urged a boycott in the local area.
Save The Goats
The ALF removed nine goats from QinetiQ's Alverstoke laboratory, an ex-MOD base, in July 2006.
In October 2007, SARC claimed victory after the Ministry of Defence suspended diving research on live goats by the defence research organisation QinetiQ at their Alverstoke Laboratory in Gosport. Between 2000-2007 a total of 406 procedures were carried out on goats at the facility. According to the group, the animals were tested in hyperbaric chambers, in order to simulate under water pressure, to attempt to research the symptoms and possible cures of decompression sickness and to study deep-sea rescue. The goats would remain in the chambers for up to 24 hours and often tested numerous times.
The first recorded example of goats being used in diving tests dates back to 1907, John Haldane used goats because he thought they looked about the same size as an adult human adult and he used pigs to represent overweight divers.
In July 2006 animal rights activists made front page news after breaking into the military base and stealing nine goats. Jilly Cooper later based the character Chisolm from her novel Jump! on one of the stolen goats, and dedicated a chapter of her book to how activists carried out the raid. The characters Nuala and Brunhilda are based on SARC founders Nicola Tapping and Tom Harris.
SARC's campaign against the testing was supported by the then MP Mike Hanncock, who said, "We know that a lot of this sort of experimentation is duplication of what has been done before... I've been there and seen the goats and the chambers that are used. What goes on is horrendous... We know how far submarines can go down and we know the capabilities of human beings to survive decompression situations... When it's already been done before, it is very hard for the MoD to justify it continuing. There is no reasonable excuse." Robert Goodwill MP also spoke out at the time saying, "The value of these experiments seems to be minimal. I am surprised that the Government continues to allow these to go ahead." Following the raid on the laboratory, SARC maintained regular and persistent protests outside the facility and encouraged supporters to put pressure on the MoD and MPs to halt the experiments.
The tests were heavily criticised after SARC learned from that the French MoD had abandoned animal research and used complex computer simulations and safe tests involving human volunteers. It was also discovered that the experiments being carried out were duplications of existing research.
Following pressure, the tests were suspended in March 2007 and a committee of experts began looking into alternative research models, such as computer-modelling and safe human trials, in an attempt to simulate the effects of decompression sickness, or the bends, caused by ascending too quickly.
It was then announced in February 2008 that the Ministry of Defence had scrapped the experiments with goats. ‘The Ministry of Defence (MoD) has today announced the end of its immediate requirement for testing on live goats as part of its hyperbaric research in support of the MoD’s Submarine Escape Rescue and Abandonment System (SMERAS)… and the review has concluded that the remaining associated areas of uncertainty in submarine escape and rescue relate to events that are considered highly unlikely, and do not therefore need to be addressed by means of animal testing.’ Following this announcement SARC campaigned for the release of the remaining goats. Later the 28 remaining goats were rehomed to Buttercup Goat Sanctuary.
Foie Gras
SARC founder Tom Harris asked Mike Hancock MP to raise a question with the then minister for DEFRA Ben Bradshaw MP about a ban on the importation of the dish. Ben Bradshaw responded in a positive manner which attracted national media coverage. He suggested a boycott of the product was a good way forward since due to the treaty of Rome the UK were not able to ban it's importation, Ben Bradshaw stated,
"We do believe that the production of foie gras using force-feeding gives rise to serious welfare concerns. The most effective action is for individuals not to buy foie gras if they dislike the way it is produced. We hope that public pressure will contribute to an end to this practice."<ref name=":0" />
France's national foie gras farmer's committee, Cifog, responded and accused Mr Bradshaw of giving into pressure from animal rights lobby groups. Marie-Pierre Pé, a spokesman for the group, said,
"These groups have singled out foie gras as an easy target, but their ultimate goal is to ban meat-eating in general."<ref name=":0" />

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