The company of commercialized dog breeders used for medical research was fined a record $35 million in federal court as part of a plea agreement, banning the company Envigo RMS and its parent company Inotiv from breeding or selling animals in future.
More from the Associated Press:
The federal investigation of Envigo drew national attention in May 2022 when federal authorities conducted a search of the breeding facility in Cumberland County, Virginia, and found nearly 450 animals in acute distress.
The company later agreed to relinquish all 4,000 beagles at the facility, which were sent around the country for adoption.
The scandal gripped Virginia headlines in May 2022 and resulted in a tidal wave of adoptions across Virginia, including State Senator Bryce Reeves among other Republican public figures. Nearly 450 beagles were found in a condition of neglect and distress.
The massive $35 million fine comes at a time when commercial interests continue to seek to restrict or otherwise harm dogs in Virginia, as commercialized hunting groups continue to put pressure on dog owners and family hunters. In January 2024, a landowner shot and killed three hunting dogs in what was described as a “gruesome” and “cold-blooded” act of violence according to NBC 12:
“You just don’t shoot dogs. And I feel for the boys who lost their dogs,” he said. “It was a horrific act. An act of animal cruelty. I’d even say it was a hate crime toward dog hunting.”
Since 2019, Inotiv and Envigo made $15 million selling over 15,000 beagles for medical testing and other commercialized purposes.