In a groundbreaking case of animal cruelty, a company that breeds animals for medical testing has been fined a record $35 million after 4,000 beagles were rescued from its facility in Virginia in 2022. The fine against Envigo RMS LLC is the largest ever issued under the Animal Welfare Act, according to the US Department of Justice.
The company’s parent company, Inotiv, has agreed to pay the record eight-figure settlement and has also agreed to not breed dogs for the next five years. In a statement, Inotiv acknowledged their wrongdoing, stating, “By committing the crimes it was 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.”
Inspectors found horrifying conditions at the breeding facility in Cumberland, with dogs being killed instead of receiving basic veterinary care, being fed contaminated food, and nursing mothers not being given anything to eat at all. The rescue of the 4,000 dogs in August 2022 led to a nationwide effort by animal shelters to find the dogs new owners in the US.
Envigo has admitted to conspiring to violate the Animal Welfare Act by failing to provide adequate veterinary care, staffing, and living conditions for the dogs. The company’s sister company, Envigo Global Services Inc, has also admitted to breaking the Clean Water Act by not properly treating wastewater, which affected the dogs’ health and contaminated the environment.
As part of the agreement, the company will pay $22 million to the US government, as well as approximately $1.1 million to the Virginia Animal Fighting Task Force and approximately $1.9 million to the Humane Society of the United States for their help in rescuing the beagles. The deal is set to be formally approved by a judge on October 7th.
