A company that breeds animals for medical testing has been fined a record $35m (£27m) after 4,000 beagles were rescued from its facility in Virginia in 2022.

The fine against Envigo RMS LLC for animal cruelty is the largest fine ever issued under the Animal Welfare Act, according to the US Department of Justice (DoJ).

“Envigo promoted a business culture that prioritized profit and convenience over following the law,” Christopher Kavanaugh, the US attorney for the Western District of Virginia, said in a statement.

“This callous approach led to dire consequences: the inhumane treatment of animals and the contamination of our waterway,” he said.

Envigo’s parent company, Inotiv, has agreed to pay the record eight-figure settlement. It has also agreed to not breed dogs for the next five years.

  • Flying Squid@lemmy.world
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    5 months ago

    Disgusting. Commercial breeding should be illegal. There are enough dogs in the world as it is and they encourage inbreeding to boot.

  • Dasus@lemmy.world
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    5 months ago

    Envigo promoted a business culture that prioritized profit and convenience over following the law

    Yeah that’s called capitalism

      • Dasus@lemmy.world
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        5 months ago

        Capitalism doesn’t have a monopoly on market economies, no matter how much it pretends to

        • Pacattack57@lemmy.world
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          5 months ago

          I don’t know what you mean by that but there is a concept called law as price which is very prevalent in the US. Basically means that fines for laws are not punishment. It is the price to commit that crime. For example companies make billions and pay fines and write it off as operations cost. Planet Money on TikTok has a great video about it.

          • Dasus@lemmy.world
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            5 months ago

            I don’t know what you mean by that

            Yeah, clearly.

            Jesus, the education on the TikTok generation. Yes, that’s called capitalism.

            Profit above all else leads to to shitty societies, but we have a choice.

            • Pacattack57@lemmy.world
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              5 months ago

              How do consumers have a choice that Envigo RMS LLC decided to use illegal business practice to breed dogs for medical testing? Please enlighten me.

              • Dasus@lemmy.world
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                5 months ago

                As if it was Envigos choice.

                Don’t pretend everyone isn’t doing it under capitalism.

                Basically what youre saying is that it’s only their fault and that’s only because they got caught.

                Capitalism

                I’ll keep enjoying my objectively better, socialist nation

    • comador @lemmy.world
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      5 months ago

      I trained my beagle to do neither bark nor howl, but she whined incessantly lol. Point is, any dog can be trained at any age not to, so it’s the owners fault (most times as there are exceptions), not the dog’s.

  • AhismaMiasma@lemm.ee
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    5 months ago

    Massive numbers of beagles are being used for genetic testing and experimentation by the government.

    Don’t worry about it.

    • BakerBagel@midwest.social
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      5 months ago

      Also medical and pharmacuetical testing. Variety in testing models are important, which is why there are lots of regulations about how abimals bred for research are treated and handled. It’s an ugly reality, but the alternative is just releasing potentially hazardous products on the population.

      • johannesvanderwhales@lemmy.world
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        5 months ago

        At the end of the day I’d rather medical research be conducted on dogs than humans (at least, prior to when things are ready for human trials). But also I’m pretty sure it’s regulated what can be tested on different kinds of animals. The bar for testing on rodents is for example much lower than the bar for primates.

        • gheesh@lemmy.world
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          5 months ago

          Medical research? These poor creatures will end up being test subjects for cosmetics, tobacco, pollution,… You know, just so the people who pay know how much a living being (i.e. your future self) can take before collapsing. Implying most (or even a significant portion) of them are for “finding a cure for cancer” is PR washing.