In 2022, a company that breeds animals for medical testing was fined a record $35m (£27m) after 4,000 beagles were rescued at its facility in Virginia.
The fine against Envigo RMS LLC for animal cruelty is the largest fine ever issued under the Animal Welfare Act, according to the U.S. Department of Justice (DoJ).
“Envigo promoted a business culture that prioritized profit and convenience over compliance with the law,” Christopher Kavanaugh, U.S. Attorney for the Western District of Virginia, said in a statement.
“This callous approach has terrible consequences: inhumane treatment of animals and pollution of our waterways,” he said.
Envigo’s parent company Inotiv has agreed to pay a record eight-figure settlement. It also agreed not to breed any more dogs for the next five years.
Inotiv said that by committing the alleged crimes “and by failing to make necessary infrastructure upgrades and hire necessary staff, we have failed to meet animal and environmental welfare standards and apologize to the public for the harm our actions have caused” .
Envigo RMS’ Cumberland-based breeding facility was sued by the U.S. Department of Justice in May. Federal agencies charged him with multiple acts of animal cruelty.
Inspectors found that some dogs were killed rather than receive basic veterinary care for easily treatable illnesses. The animals were also fed food containing maggots, mold and feces, while some nursing mothers were not fed anything at all.
In August 2022, animal shelters rescued 4,000 dogs from the facility, followed by a nationwide effort by animal shelters to find new owners for the dogs in the United States.
The Justice Department said Monday that Envigo admitted it “willfully violated the Animal Welfare Act by failing to provide adequate veterinary care, adequate staffing and safe living conditions to the dogs housed at the Cumberland County facility.”
The breeder’s sister company, Envigo Global Services Inc, also admitted that it violated the Clean Water Act by failing to properly dispose of wastewater, adversely affecting the health of the dogs and polluting the environment.
The agreement requires the company to pay $22 million to the U.S. government, about $1.1 million to the Virginia Animal Fight Task Force and about $1.9 million to the Humane Society of the United States for their help in saving the beagles.
The deal will be formally approved by a judge on October 7.
