A company that breeds beagles for medical research agreed Monday to pay a record $35 million as part of its criminal plea that it neglected thousands of dogs at its kennel facility in rural Virginia.
Prosecutors said the penalties were the largest ever in an animal welfare case.
The plea deal also prohibits the company that runs the facility, Envigo RMS, as well as its parent company, Inotiv, from breeding or selling the dogs in the future.
Federal investigation into Invigo He came to national attention in May 2022 When federal authorities conducted a search at a breeding facility in Cumberland County, Virginia, they found approximately 450 animals in severe distress.
The company later agreed to this Give away all 4000 beagles At the facility, they were sent across the country for adoption.
U.S. Attorney for the Western District of Virginia Christopher Kavanaugh, whose office prosecuted the case, said Monday after a hearing in federal court in Charlottesville that Invigo and Innotiv “prioritized profits and convenience over following the law.”
He said the company generated $16 million in revenue between 2019 and May 2022, when the research occurred, by selling 15,000 beagles during that period.
But he said the company refused to make the investments necessary to provide basic care for the animals. Cages are cleaned twice a month and not every day as required. He added that the animals were euthanized, including by direct injection into the heart, without anesthesia. Dogs were routinely injured by getting their feet stuck in a floor made up of metal grates that left room for their feet to fall easily. Food and water were missing and unclean.
Court records show 300 puppies died over a seven-month period around 2021 from what were described as “unknown causes.”
He said the company continued to employ a veterinarian who botched surgeries and oversaw numerous abuses because executives thought it would be too difficult to find a replacement.
Todd Kim, Assistant Attorney General for the Justice Department's Environment and Natural Resources Division, said Invigo “unlawfully enriched itself by failing to expend necessary development funds and failing to employ sufficiently trained and competent employees.”
The Cumberland facility, which employed approximately 40 people, was closed. Cavanaugh said the organization is severely understaffed to care for thousands of dogs.
The plea deal calls for an $11 million fine for violating the Animal Welfare Act and an $11 million fine for violating the Clean Water Act. The deal also requires Inotiv to spend $7 million over the next three years to improve its facilities and meet standards that exceed the requirements of the Animal Welfare Act.
The plea deal includes an admission that Envigo violated the Clean Water Act by discharging hundreds of thousands of gallons of improperly treated wastewater.
It also includes $3.5 million for environmental repairs in Cumberland County and requires the company to pay for a compliance monitor while he is on probation, which will last for three to five years.
The plea agreement also requires the companies to pay approximately $1.9 million to the Humane Society of the United States for their assistance in the investigation.
Prosecutors also said their investigations are continuing and that criminal cases against individual employees remain possible.
Inotive, based in West Lafayette, Indiana, issued what it called a “statement of remorse” on Monday after the hearing.
“By committing the crimes specified in the charging document, and by failing to make the necessary infrastructure upgrades and hire the necessary personnel, we have failed to meet our standards regarding animal welfare and the environment and we apologize to the public for the harm caused by our conduct,” the company said. “In resolving this matter, we renew our commitment By maintaining the highest standards of animal care.”