Marshall Farms

Marshall Farms, based in North Rose, New York, is a commercial breeder of dogs and ferrets for pets and scientific research. Marshall Pet Products, a division of Marshall Farms founded in 1993, sells a wide range of food, toys, and other accessories for ferrets and rabbits.

Founded in 1939 by Gilman Marshall, the company is currently the largest ferret breeder in the United States. Ferrets from Marshall are commonly seen in pet shops across the United States, Canada, and, increasingly, Japan; they are also used in biomedicine laboratories, particularly in the fields of viral and parasitic diseases, cardiovascular and behavioral research, and reproductive endocrinology.

Pet ferrets originating from Marshall Farms usually have two small dots tattooed in the right ear, though this practice is not exclusive to Marshall. One dot indicates that the ferret has been spayed or neutered; two indicate that its anal scent glands have also been surgically removed.

Animal rights groups such as PETA have attacked Marshall in the past for breeding animals for scientific and medical research. The firm was the subject of an Animal Liberation Front raid in 2001, in which it was claimed that 10 ferrets and 30 beagles were removed from the complex. Such cases have made Marshall an unpopular destination for new ferret owners.

Encounters with S.H.A.R.K
S.H.A.R.K.(SHowing Animals Respect and Kindness) members flew a drone over Marshall farms in November 2016. After being followed by Marshall Farms security they were soon pulled over on a traffic stop by New York State Police. The video on the SHARK YouTube page shows the New York State Trooper refusing to state any crime or traffic law the driver violated. The driver is eventually convinced by the New York State Trooper to give up his identification even though he broke no law and New York State Law requires law enforcement to "reasonably suspects that such person is committing, has committed or is about to commit either (a) a felony or (b) a misdemeanor defined in the penal law" in order to lawfully force a citizen to identify themselves. The video shows the NY state trooper claiming they broke no law multiple times. The two members of the SHARK team that were arrested for failing to identify themselves were later released from the county jail without any citations or charges. The team then filed a lawsuit claiming several civil rights violations. On October 12, 2023 SHARK announced on their YouTube page that they settled out of court with the Wayne County Sheriffs office and New York State for $50,000 each for a total of $100,000 to settle the civil rights violation suit.