Another protest group is making their way to a facility in Wayne County next week.

A group called “March to Abolish Animal Testing” says they’re walking over 200 miles from Albany to North Rose to “shine a light on the animals hidden from public view and demand a future where scientific progress no longer depends on animal suffering.”

Their journey will end at the entrance to Marshall BioResources, a company that has been a fixture of the area for over eight decades.

Originally founded in 1939 as a breeder of ferrets, the company expanded over the years as demand for scientific, medical, and veterinary research subjects grew.

Early on, ferrets were used in the development of canine distemper vaccines and were deemed a valuable model for testing new therapies and medications. As the need for larger subjects became evident, scientists  and researchers began testing on other animals including monkeys and dogs.

Marshall BioResources now raises ferrets, cats, minipigs and beagles which are in turn sold to accredited laboratories around the world for various types of biomedical research.

According to the National Institutes of Health (NIH), biomedical and behavioral research using animals “has provided the foundation for many safe and effective life-saving treatments for diseases and conditions affecting human health.”

Protestors and opponents say it’s no longer necessary and are calling for a complete stop to animal testing.

Scott Marshall is the third generation of his family to raise animals at their North Rose facility and is the CEO of Marshall BioResources . Scott says when he first started in the business, there were 7 large commercial breeders in the United States. Now his family’s company is one of the last.

“For many years we never had protests at our sites. Now within last couple years due to our main competitors going out of business, we’re the last man standing and we’re a big target.”

However Scott and others in the research and medical fields say a compete end to animal testing is still likely several years away.

“There’s all this talk about alternative methods, which are amazing by the way and are used by our customers. They are the investors in developing these technologies. In the end, they would rather use alternatives rather than dealing with controversy,” Scott says, but asserts that’s still a ways off.

“What we’ve learned as of right now is that if they can’t get them here, they have to move research to  Europe, the United Kingdom and China,” which Scott says will cost jobs across several industries.

“I know the writing is on the wall” Scott shared, but his customers say animals will still be needed for the foreseeable future.

“Nobody wants to see dogs used in research, but I just think about the millions of people and pets we help live long healthy lives.”

Scott also contends the reason his company is still operating while others have closed is indicative of the fact they adhere to all industry standards and have regularly passed inspections and certifications for animal health.

Scott says their facility is randomly inspected at least once or twice a year by the USDA, but with the increased scrutiny over the past few months, they’ve had visits in May, July and early September.

“We’re really proud all of those have been clean with no findings.”

In addition, Marshall’s customers regularly tour the facility along with many of the area’s local and state politicians.

The property spans hundreds of acres and has an estimated 30,000 animals being raised there at any given time. Half, or around 15,000, are beagles. The company also employees around 200 local residents in and around Wayne County including three full-time veterinarians and a variety of other technicians, caregivers and staff.

While Marshall BioResources doesn’t do any actual research on dogs, cats or its minpigs, Scott says they do have a small research protocol for certain ferrets that was requested by one of  their clients.

Several groups have now joined together calling for Marshall to be shut down, saying advances in medical research have all but eliminated the need for animal testing.

The organizers of the "March to Abolish Animal Testing have begun their journey from Albany and plan to arrive at Marhsall BioResources on September 26 to hold a rally outside the property.

March Co-Director Ella Magers says, "We refuse to accept animal suffering as the price of scientific progress—because we know there is a better way. This march is about ordinary people coming together to do something extraordinary, and proving that when enough of us refuse to look away, we can change systems that once seemed impossible to change."

Ella and her Co-Director Gretchen Primack say "Animal testing is slower and less effective than non animal methods. We also know that it includes cruelty and suffering and that’s unnecessary."

The group also cites a recent letter that was sent to Wayne County District Attorney Christine K. Callanan and Wayne County Sheriff Robert Milby calling for them to take action against Marshall for what they say are "extensive violations of New York’s animal-cruelty laws."

The letter contains accusations from a prior employee who left the company in late 2022 and cites prior USDA inspection reports dating from 2021.

Elizabeth Izard Apelles, founder of Honey Paws, says her organization has joined the cause helping to raise over $7,000 so far to fund the protests through sales io merchandise.

Honey Paws says they’re "dedicated to protecting breeding dogs and ending the cruelty of puppy mills through awareness, advocacy, and direct support."

While Elizabeth shared that she certainly doesn’t support animal testing, her focus right now is on the wellbeing of the beagles.

"What I care about is how the breeding dogs are taken care of."

Elizabeth says she only heard of Marshall about two months ago, but since then has been dedicated to raising awareness and finding out more about the issue.

"My hope is that Scott Marshall will come to the table and talk to us," saying she wants the ability to look at what’s going on inside the facility with calls for more transparency.

"My role now is to protect the dogs behind those fences. I’m asking that I get 100% clarity that all of the whistleblower complaints have been fixed."

As for this upcoming protest, Sheriff Rob Milby says the group has been in touch with his department regarding the upcoming protest.

"Expectations of their behavior were given and they adjusted their times as not to interfere with school dismissal," which Milby says he appreciated.

"We will protect a right to protest, but will not tolerate trespass, criminal mischief or the obstruction of traffic.

To learn more about the protest, visit marchforanimals.org/.

Marshall also maintains a website with information on the industry including links to relavent material at animalsadvancehealth.com/.