According to the U.S. Department of Justice and Environmental Protection Agency, the corporation that once controlled a dog breeding facility in Virginia was compelled to pay a record $35 million fine after mistreating over 4,000 beagles. This information was released on Monday.
64 miles east of Richmond, in Cumberland County, Envigo Global Services Inc. entered a guilty plea to charges of breaching the Animal Welfare Act. As a result, the company was compelled to pay a record fine under the act.
In addition, the business admitted guilt to willfully breaking the Clean Water Act. The news announcement did not name the parties involved, and the scheduled sentencing date is October 7.
The breeder surrendered the beagles in 2022
The business has committed to stop selling or breeding dogs there.
The Animal Welfare Act establishes minimal standards of care for animals kept in captivity, marketed to the general public, or utilized in educational or research contexts.
The federal agencies claim that Envigo RMS, a subsidiary of Inotiv like Envigo Global Services, neglected to provide the canines housed at the facility with proper veterinary care, staffing, and safe living circumstances.
The facility’s wastewater treatment system was also run and maintained by Envigo Global Services, “which led to massive unlawful discharges of insufficiently treated wastewater into a local waterway and also impacted the health and well-being of the dogs at the facility,” the DOJ said.
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“Envigo compounded the heartbreaking nature of its animal welfare crimes by committing egregious Clean Water Act violations that undermined public health and the wellbeing of the animals in their care,” Assistant Administrator David M. Uhlmann of Environmental Protection Agency’s Office of Enforcement and Compliance Assurance stated. “Everyone victimized in this precedent-setting animal welfare case deserved better: the workers, the beagles, the environment and the community. Envigo deserves every dollar of its record fine.”
The organizations will pay a total criminal penalties of $22 million, or $11 million for each infraction, and serve probation terms ranging from three to five years.
For direct assistance given to the inquiry, Envigo will also pay the Virginia Animal Fighting Task Force roughly $1.1 million and the Humane Society of the United States approximately $1.9 million.
Additionally, the department reports that $3.5 million will be given to the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation in order to support and restore Cumberland County’s ecosystems and environment. At least $500,000 of this amount will go toward buying riparian land, such as riparian wetland, that is situated in or close to Cumberland.
Envigo intends to invest a minimum of $7 million in enhancing their staff and facilities above the requirements set by the Animal Welfare Act.
“Our nation’s animal welfare and clean water laws exist to prevent suffering and harm,” Assistant Attorney General Todd Kim of the Justice Department’s Environment and Natural Resources Division stated. “That’s why we secured the transfer of thousands of beagles from Envigo’s Cumberland facility into adoption, and that’s why today’s plea agreement is so significant. The plea agreement includes the largest ever fine in an animal welfare case as well as heightened standards of care for facilities across the country.”
Inotiv, a company that supplies live animals and associated goods and services to the biotechnology and pharmaceutical sectors, government agencies, academic institutions, and other life science organizations for animal testing, The business released an expression of regret, saying, “In committing the crimes identified in the charging document, 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. In resolving this matter, we renew our commitment to maintaining the highest standards of animal care, as well as to the communities and environments in which we operate. We hope that others will learn from our experience.”
