MBR Italy

MBR Italy


GREEN HILL

Before MBR Acres moved to the UK in 2017, their breeding facility was in Italy, at a site known as Green Hill, located in the province of Brescia. Just like MBR Acres the puppy factory was owned by Marshall BioResources and it specialised in breeding around 3,000 beagle dogs every year for use in laboratory experiments.

Italian animal rights organisations ran a campaign against Green Hill, and on 28th April 2012, during a high-profile protest action when more than a thousand people gathered at the breeding site, many broke in and entered the compound, and liberated 27 beagles in broad daylight.

This liberation generated huge public outcry and the interest of local authorities who then started to investigate the breeding and housing conditions at Green Hill. Following mounting pressure from evidence of serious animal welfare violations. In July 2012 the Italian court issued a closure order of the breeding facilities and over 2,500 dogs were seized and re-homed, including mothers, studs and puppies of all ages.

The cruelty violations included:

  • Thousands of beagles kept in warehouse-style sheds with inadequate space, no natural light, no enhancements, and no access to outdoor runs.
  • Over 6,000 dogs were killed in a 4 year period because they did not meet sale standards, or because it was cheaper to kill them that to cure them.
  • 93 beagles dying from ingesting sawdust used as bedding in the dogs pens.
  • The veterinary and management staff failed to assure proper care for the nearly 3,000 dogs under their charge.

As a result three top senior employees of Green Hill were later found guilty of unjustified killing and mistreatment of dogs in January 2015:

  • Executive Manager, Ghislane Rondot, was sentenced to 1 year and 6 months in prison.
  • In-house veterinarian, Renzo Graziosi, also received 1 year and 6 months in prison.
  • Director, Roberto Bravi, was sentenced to 1 year in prison plus payment of compensation/expenses.
  • In addition, the court ordered a 2-year suspension of their professional activities. See more details from LAV (Lega Anti Vivisezion) press release here.
  • Later, on 4 October 2017, the Italian Supreme Court rejected the appeal, making the convictions definitive.

Conclusion: Marshall Bioresources operated a beagle breeding facility in Italy until the local authorities closed them down and sentenced the top ranking staff to jail for animal welfare violations. MBR, instead of changing their cruel practices, they found another country who would allow then to carry on abusing dogs. In 2017 they moved to the UK and set up MBR Acres, where to this day they continue to use the same breeding and housing conditions they had at Green Hill.

You can  read the full judgement of the criminal case agains Greenhill here.

https://thecampbeagle.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/11/Green-Hill.mp4https://thecampbeagle.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/11/Green-Hill.mp4