This is Part 1 of a series exposing the people and companies at the heart of the UK’s live animal testing supply chain. This first post focuses on Russell Philip Morgan, sole director of Impex Services International Limited. Every claim in this post is factual. All sources are listed at the bottom.
Russell Morgan is the sole director of Impex Services International Limited – the UK’s only independent courier specialising in transporting live animals to research laboratories. His vans collect beagle puppies from breeding facilities and deliver them to testing labs across the UK and Europe. Without Impex, the supply chain breaks.
This is a profile of Russell Philip Morgan, the company he runs, and why campaigners consider him a critical pressure point in the fight to end animal testing.
Who is Russell Morgan?
Russell Philip Morgan (born June 1980) is a British businessman who co-founded Impex Services International on 25 June 2002, aged just 22. He co-founded the business with Eric Morgan (born February 1950), who served as both director and secretary until resigning in March 2011. The shared surname and 30-year age gap strongly suggest Eric is Russell’s father, making Impex a family business built on transporting animals to laboratories.
Since Eric Morgan’s resignation in 2011, Russell Morgan has been the sole director. No other active directorships have been found under his name in public records.
| Detail | Information |
|---|---|
| Full name | Russell Philip Morgan |
| Date of birth | June 1980 |
| Nationality | British |
| Role | Sole Director, Impex Services International Ltd |
| Director since | 25 June 2002 (founding) |
| Company number | 04469169 |
What is Impex Services International Limited?
Impex describes itself as a “fully validated global courier for the research and pharmaceutical industries.” That corporate language obscures what the company actually does: it is the UK’s only independent courier transporting live animals to testing laboratories.
| Field | Detail |
|---|---|
| Registered name | Impex Services International Limited |
| Company number | 04469169 |
| Incorporated | 25 June 2002 |
| Status | Active |
| SIC code | 82990 (Other business support service activities) |
| Registered address | PO Box 187, Huntingdon, Cambridgeshire PE28 4JF |
| Operational base | Thrapston / Islip, Northamptonshire |
| Website | impex-uk.com |
| Contact | Tel: +44 (0) 8456 021662 / info@impex-uk.com |
| Bank | HSBC (3 outstanding charges registered) |
What does Impex transport?
According to its own marketing materials and industry directory listings, Impex Services International:
- Transports live animals of all species for the research and pharmaceutical industry
- Is described as “Europe’s largest specialist livestock courier and market leader in the transportation of non-agricultural animals”
- Supplies shipping containers for cats, dogs, rabbits, rodents, and non-human primates
- Handles DEFRA licensing, LVI documentation, transit documents, and CITES permits
- Has over 20 years of airport clearance experience for international animal shipments
The company is listed in the Lab Animal Buyers’ Guide, an industry directory used by laboratories purchasing animals and related services.
How the supply chain works
Russell Morgan’s company is the critical transport link connecting breeding facilities to testing laboratories. The chain works like this:
- MBR Acres (Wyton, Cambridgeshire) breeds up to 2,000 beagle puppies per year. It is the UK’s only facility breeding beagles specifically for laboratory use, owned by US firm Marshall BioResource.
- B&K Universal (Hull), also owned by Marshall BioResources, breeds ferrets, guinea pigs, rats, and mice for testing.
- Impex Services International, run by Russell Morgan, collects the animals and delivers them to laboratories including Labcorp Huntingdon and Labcorp Harrogate.
- Impex also handles international primate shipments, clearing animals arriving at UK airports and delivering them to laboratories.
Beagle puppies are collected from MBR Acres at around 16 weeks old and delivered to laboratories where they undergo toxicology testing, drug trials, and chemical experiments.
The scale of the operation
Camp Beagle volunteers have systematically tracked Impex van movements from MBR Acres:
| Period | Shipments | Vans observed |
|---|---|---|
| 2024 (full year) | 44 | 66 |
| First half of 2025 | 23 | 39 |
On a single day in August 2021, Cambridgeshire Police deployed up to 100 officers to facilitate a beagle shipment from MBR Acres – costing taxpayers £46,214, according to FOI data.
Why Russell Morgan and Impex matter to campaigners
Without a courier willing to transport animals from breeding facilities to laboratories, the supply chain cannot function. This is why Impex holds a uniquely important position:
- It is the only independent specialist performing this role in the UK
- No competitor has been identified in any industry directory or public record
- If Impex stopped operating, MBR Acres and B&K Universal would have no established route to deliver animals to UK laboratories
Transport companies in other sectors have already responded to public pressure. Avanti terminated its contract with MBR Acres. Monarch Gas did the same. Multiple airlines have banned the transport of primates and other animals for laboratory use.
Impex continues.
Protests targeting Russell Morgan and Impex
January 2022: Thrapston demonstration
Several dozen protesters from the “Free The MBR Beagles” campaign gathered at Impex’s premises on the Cosy Nook industrial estate in Thrapston, Northamptonshire, to raise local awareness of the company’s role in the supply chain.
January 2022: Home visit
Activists visited Russell Morgan at his home address. Local residents reportedly provided the address and expressed disapproval of his business activities.
August 2024: Facility blockade
40 activists blockaded the Impex facility, blocking vehicles from leaving and hanging banners. Arrests and dispersal orders were issued.
Ongoing surveillance and national demonstrations
Camp Beagle maintains permanent surveillance of Impex van movements from MBR Acres. National demonstrations have been organised at the Thrapston site. Russell Morgan reportedly receives police escorts when collecting animals from MBR Acres – at public expense.
The legal position
Animal transport in the UK is governed by welfare regulations covering appropriate containers, ventilation, journey time limits, veterinary certification, and DEFRA licensing. These regulations govern how animals are transported – not whether they should be.
The Animals (Scientific Procedures) Act 1986 – the UK’s primary legislation on animal testing – does not require scientists to prove they have exhausted non-animal alternatives before applying for a project licence. Applicants can simply state their own opinion that animal testing is necessary.
In November 2025, the UK government moved to classify “Life Sciences infrastructure” as Key National Infrastructure under the Public Order Act 2023. This would effectively shield breeding facilities, transport operations, and laboratories from protest – criminalising the activism that has already driven Avanti and Monarch Gas to cut ties with MBR Acres.
The science has moved on
The animals Russell Morgan transports to laboratories are subjected to tests that fail 92–95% of the time when results are applied to humans. Modern alternatives are gaining regulatory acceptance fast:
- Organ-on-a-chip technology: Human cell-based devices achieving 87% accuracy for liver toxicity prediction
- AI and computational models: 89% accuracy predicting cardiac arrhythmia, versus 75% for animal models
- Organoids: Lab-grown miniature organs derived from human stem cells
- 3D tissue models: Replacing skin and eye irritation tests by 2026 under the UK government’s own roadmap
The FDA Modernization Act 3.0 passed the US Senate unanimously in December 2025, formally advancing the transition away from animal testing. The FDA aims to make animal studies “the exception rather than the norm” within 3–5 years. The NIH announced in July 2025 it will no longer fund projects focused exclusively on animal testing.
Impex Services International is betting its business on the old world lasting.
Corporate record: Impex Services International Limited
| Filing detail | Information |
|---|---|
| Company number | 04469169 |
| Incorporation date | 25 June 2002 |
| Last accounts | Period ending 30 September 2024 |
| Next accounts due | 30 June 2026 |
| SIC code | 82990 |
| Charges | 3 registered (3 outstanding) — creditor: HSBC Bank PLC |
Officers history
| Name | Role | Appointed | Resigned |
|---|---|---|---|
| Russell Philip Morgan | Director | 25 June 2002 | Active |
| Eric Morgan | Director & Secretary | 25 June 2002 | 11 March 2011 |
| Theydon Nominees Ltd | Nominee Director | 25 June 2002 | 25 June 2002 |
| Theydon Secretaries Ltd | Nominee Secretary | 25 June 2002 | 25 June 2002 |
What you can do
- Share this article – Russell Morgan operates in relative obscurity. Visibility is pressure.
- Support Camp Beagle at thecampbeagle.com – they track every Impex van movement from MBR Acres.
- Contact your MP – demand an end to the use of dogs in laboratory testing and faster adoption of human-relevant methods.
- Support the organisations fighting this: Cruelty Free International, PETA UK, Animal Free Research UK.
Sources
- Companies House – Impex Services International Limited
- Lab Animal Buyers’ Guide – Impex
- Northants Telegraph – Activists target lab dog courier
- Camp Beagle – Impex vans
- Camp Beagle – 39 Impex vans in first half of 2025
- Camp Beagle – Impex collects puppies, delivers to Labcorp
- Vegan FTA – Protesters blockade lab animal transport
- Rise for Animals – Marshall BioResources
- Wikipedia – Camp Beagle
- UK Government – Animal testing roadmap
- FDA Modernization Act 3.0
- PMC – Drug failure rates in animal testing
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