Envigo, a leading supplier of research animals in the USA, pleaded guilty to violating the country’s Animal Welfare Act (AWA) and acknowledged that it neglected thousands of beagles at a breeding facility in Cumberland, Virginia. “We fell short of our standards for animal and environmental welfare and apologize to the public for the harm caused by our conduct,” said Inotiv, Envigo’s parent company, in a statement.
The company reached an agreement in court to pay US$35 million in fines, compensation, and investment in improving its facilities. The figure includes a fine of US$11 million for neglectful treatment of the dogs — the biggest fine ever imposed for violation of the AWA — and another US$11 million for disposing of untreated sewage from the breeding facility in surrounding rivers. A further US$13 million will be allocated to animal welfare projects. Envigo will pay US$1.1 million to the Virginia Animal Fighting Task Force, US$1.9 million to the US Humane Society, and US$3.5 million to the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation. The company will also invest US$7 million in modernizing its breeding facilities.
In 2022, the US Department of Justice seized 4,000 dogs from the company’s filthy, overcrowded facility in Cumberland. Before the rescue operation, the Department of Agriculture’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service identified a series of problems at the breeding facility, including unsanitary conditions, euthanasia without anesthesia, malnourished animals nursing puppies, and more than 300 animal deaths per year due to “unknown causes.” “They noted 25 puppies who died of cold exposure, maggots in dog food, and animals with medical conditions that should have received treatment but did not,” said Lindsay Hamrick, director of shelter outreach and engagement at the Humane Society. There were also complaints about the competence of the veterinarian responsible for treating the dogs and performing surgeries, who Envigo refused to replace.
The rescue operation was widely publicized, with volunteers and animal rights organizations coming together to find homes for the animals. Some were even adopted by public figures, such as the UK’s Prince Harry, who now lives in the US, and New Jersey state governor Phil Murphy. Envigo shut down its Cumberland facility and no longer breeds beagles.
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