Government to ask construction companies whether climate of intimidation makes them reluctant to tender

The government is set to launch a consultation exercise with construction companies to gauge how many shy away from pharmaceutical work for fear of animal extremist threats.

Amid growing concern that firms are pulling back from vital schemes, Building understands that civil servants want to speak to companies in construction, engineering, consultancy and law about the impact of animal rights groups.

The government also wants to assess the level of confidence firms have in government agencies and other bodies to protect them.

The plans emerged as Oxford University was granted a further injunction to limit protests against the construction of its animal testing laboratory. A High Court order placed further restrictions on the location and scale of protests.

The consultation signals an increased determination to protect businesses amid increasingly random targeting of firms in the construction sector. Pensions provider B&CE and other firms in the South, which have no link to Oxford or the university, are among many that have received threatening letters and emails.

Many of us have been affected by abusive and intimidating protests

Oxford University spokesperson

Building understands that the government is looking at all sectors, including construction, that could be affected by animal rights extremism. The review is also investigating how much faith firms put in the action being taken by government, the police force and the criminal justice system. It is understood that the findings from the consultation will help the government shape its future strategy on how to deal with animal rights extremism.

Last week Oxford University won a further High Court order to limit protest against construction of its animal testing laboratory. The ruling places further restrictions on demonstrations in the city, limiting protesters outside the laboratory site to the use of one megaphone during weekly demonstrations.

An Oxford University spokesperson said: "The working lives of many people in the collegiate university have been affected by loud, abusive and intimidating protests for almost two years. Mr Justice Holland has acknowledged that DVD evidence of noisy and abusive protests, supplied by the university, made for ‘daunting viewing'."

The university will seek another High Court order on 18 May to extend the exclusion zone around the laboratory and restrict the use of megaphones more widely in the city.