UPDATE 6/3/2024: Envigo RMS LLC pleaded guilty today to conspiring to knowingly violate the Animal Welfare Act, and Envigo Global Services Inc. pleaded guilty to a felony of conspiring to knowingly violate the Clean Water Act. Both pleas are in relation to a dog breeding facility located in Cumberland County, Virginia, from which the Justice Department secured the surrender of over 4,000 beagles in 2022.
As part of the resolution, Inotiv — of which Envigo RMS and Envigo Global Services are subsidiaries — will guarantee more than $35 million in payments, be subject to increased animal care standards and be subject to a compliance monitor. This resolution marks the largest ever fine in an Animal Welfare Act case.
“Our nation’s animal welfare and clean water laws exist to prevent suffering and harm,” said Assistant Attorney General Todd Kim of the Justice Department’s Environment and Natural Resources Division. “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.”
“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,” said U.S. Attorney Christopher R. Kavanaugh for the Western District of Virginia. “The historic monetary penalties and significant compliance measures as part of these guilty pleas send a clear message: every company, in every industry, must have compliance and corporate responsibility as a critical part of their business model.”
“The provisions of the Animal Welfare Act (AWA) were designed to protect animals from any type of inhumane treatment. Even in those instances of animals being bred for scientific and medical research purposes, they still must be provided with safe and sanitary living conditions,” said Special Agent in Charge Charmeka Parker of the Department of Agriculture’s Office of Inspector General. “AWA violations remain an investigative priority for us, and we will continue to work with our law enforcement partners to investigate and assist in the criminal prosecution of those who fail to adhere to the provisions of the AWA.”
“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,” said Assistant Administrator David M. Uhlmann of Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)’s Office of Enforcement and Compliance Assurance. “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.”
“Envigo’s violations of the Clean Water Act and the Animal Welfare Act directly resulted in the contamination of local waterway, negatively impacting the health and wellbeing of the community, and the horrible suffering of over 4,000 beagles. This precedent-setting case emphasizes the power of collaboration between local, state and federal authorities,” said Virginia Attorney General Jason Miyares.
According to court documents, Envigo RMS 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.
In addition, Envigo Global Services conspired to knowingly violate the Clean Water Act by failing to properly operate and maintain the wastewater treatment plant at the Cumberland County facility, 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.
Under the terms of the plea agreement, the entities will serve from three to five years of probation and pay a total criminal fine of $22 million — that is $11 million for each violation. In addition, the entities will pay 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 direct assistance provided to the investigation.
An additional $3.5 million will be paid to the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation to benefit and restore the environment and ecosystems in Cumberland County, at least $500,000 of which will be spent on purchasing riparian wetland or riparian land located in or near Cumberland.
The entities will spend at least $7 million to improve their facilities and personnel beyond the standards imposed by the Animal Welfare Act.
Finally, the entities will pay all costs associated with a compliance monitor, which will oversee the entities’ compliance with these enhanced animal welfare standards, the Animal Welfare Act, the Clean Water Act, a nationwide compliance plan and additional terms of the agreements and probation.
Sentencing is scheduled for Oct. 7.
The Department of Agriculture’s Office of Inspector General and EPA’s Criminal Investigation Division investigated the case. The Virginia State Police provided security assistance during a multi-day federal search in May 2022 of the dog breeding facility.
Senior Trial Attorney Banu Rangarajan and Trial Attorney Sarah Brown of the Environment and Natural Resources Division’s Environmental Crimes Section, Assistant U.S. Attorneys Randy Ramseyer, Corey Hall and Carrie Macon for the Western District of Virginia and Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Michelle Welch (an Assistant Attorney General with the Virginia Attorney General’s Office) are prosecuting the case.
HSUS Press release 7/12/2022 – The Humane Society of the United States is the sole party responsible for coordinating the removal of approximately 4,000 beagles housed at a facility which bred dogs to be sold to laboratories for animal experimentation.
The transfer plan was approved by the United States District Court for the Western District of Virginia after being submitted by the Department of Justice and Envigo RMS LLC, with the agreement of the Humane Society of the United States to assume this huge responsibility.
The transfer will take place in stages over the next 60 days, and the dogs will be up for adoption to loving homes via the Humane Society of the United States’ shelter and rescue partners.
The transfer plan comes as a result of a lawsuit filed against Envigo by the Department of Justice in May, alleging Animal Welfare Act violations at the facility. Repeated federal inspections have resulted in dozens of violations, including findings that some dogs had been “euthanized” without first receiving anesthesia, that dogs had received inadequate veterinary care and insufficient food, and that they were living in unsanitary conditions.
In June 2022, Inotiv Inc. announced it would close the Virginia breeding facility operated by Envigo, its subsidiary.
“These dogs have lived their lives in a massive breeding facility riddled with Animal Welfare Act violations,” said Miguel Abi-hassan, chief animal rescue, care and sanctuary officer for the Humane Society of the United States. “We are so grateful for the opportunity to work with our shelter and rescue partners to give these beagles a new life.”
The Humane Society of the United States animal rescue team is highly trained and typically gets called in to assist with rescue operations when the scope of animal needs exceed what local law enforcement or animal services has the capacity or resources to handle. Resources the HSUS can offer in these situations include legal assistance, temporary sheltering, on-scene assistance with evidence collection and animal handling, animal transportation and assistance with placement through our network of shelter and rescue partners—all at no cost to the community requesting help.
Our shelter and rescue partner program is a network of more than 350 organizations committed to serving as a safety net for pets and mentors for overwhelmed shelters. A list of partners accepting animals into their adoption program will be available here as information is confirmed. All interested adopters will need to work with the local placement groups and follow their required application processes.
Our Animal Rescue Team is preparing to remove approximately 4,000 beagles from a mass breeding facility that has received multiple violations for issues such as inadequate veterinary care and insufficient food. Many of these dogs were bound for animal testing laboratories across the country. This is a massive undertaking and we urgently need your support to help us transport, care for and find homes for these dogs as quickly as possible.
How can you help?
ADOPT OR FOSTER – The Humane Society of the United States does not adopt animals directly to the public. Our shelter and rescue partners will be placing all the dogs into foster and adoptive homes. Please check the list of partners that have received dogs and reach out to them directly for more information.
FAQ –
The shelter I volunteer/work for would like to take some of these dogs! How do they get signed up?
Any shelter or rescue interested in offering placement of these dogs, whether they are an existing HSUS shelter and rescue partner or not, should contact us.
How can I help my local shelter at this time?
Shelters and rescues need community support right now, regardless of if they are taking animals from this operation. Consider supporting your local shelter by donating, fostering, adopting or volunteering.
How can I adopt one of these beagles?
Our shelter and rescue partners each have their own adoption policies and criteria.
LIST OF PARTNERS
- Homeward Trails (Virginia)
- Kindness Ranch Animal Sanctuary (Wyoming)
- Massachusetts SPCA (Massachusetts)
- Northeast Animal Shelter (Massachusetts)
- Priceless Pets (California)
Update | July 13: We’re busy coordinating the transport of these dogs. We’ll update the list of partners throughout the next two months and encourage you to check this page often. Please note that while some dogs may travel to the West Coast, the majority will be placed with East Coast and Midwest partners.
