US dog breeder fined $35m after 4,000 beagles rescued
A company involved in breeding animals for medical testing has been fined a record $35 million (£27 million) following the rescue of 4,000 beagles from its Virginia facility in 2022.
The fine imposed on Envigo RMS LLC for animal cruelty is the largest ever under the Animal Welfare Act, as announced by the US Department of Justice (DoJ).
Christopher Kavanaugh, the US attorney for the Western District of Virginia, stated, “Envigo promoted a business culture that prioritized profit and convenience over following the law. This callous approach led to dire consequences: the inhumane treatment of animals and the contamination of our waterway.”
Envigo’s parent company, Inotiv, has agreed to the record eight-figure settlement and will cease breeding dogs for the next five years.
In a statement on its website, Inotiv acknowledged its failings, saying, “By committing the crimes we were charged with and by not making the necessary infrastructure upgrades and hiring the requisite staff, we fell short of our standards for animal and environmental welfare and apologize to the public for the harm caused by our conduct.”
The breeding facility in Cumberland, owned by Envigo RMS, was sued in May by the US Department of Justice, which accused it of numerous acts of animal cruelty.
Inspectors found dogs being killed instead of receiving basic veterinary care for treatable conditions, being fed food contaminated with maggots, mold, and feces, and some nursing mothers not being fed at all.
The rescue of 4,000 dogs from the facility in August 2022 sparked a nationwide effort by animal shelters to find new homes for dogs in the US.
The justice department said on Monday that Envigo had admitted that it had “conspired to knowingly violate the Animal Welfare Act by failing to provide, among other things, adequate veterinary care, adequate staffing and safe living conditions for dogs housed at the Cumberland County facility”.
The breeder’s sister company, Envigo Global Services Inc, has also admitted to breaking the Clean Water Act by not properly treating wastewater, adversely affecting the dogs’ health and contaminating the environment.
The agreement calls for the company to pay $22m to the US government, as well as pay approximately $1.1m to the Virginia Animal Fighting Task Force and approximately $1.9m to the Humane Society of the United States for their help rescuing the beagles.
The deal will be formally approved by a judge on 7 October.
