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.

    • bazus1@lemmy.world
      link
      fedilink
      English
      arrow-up
      23
      arrow-down
      4
      ·
      5 months ago

      Get a load of this reformed beagle-eater here. Good on you for stopping eating dog, but most of us don’t share that life-challenge.

    • TranscendentalEmpire@lemm.ee
      link
      fedilink
      arrow-up
      16
      arrow-down
      2
      ·
      5 months ago

      I think that’s somewhat of a pedantic place to draw a line in the sand. I could just as correctly claim that if you aren’t committed to civil disobedience and are still paying taxes, then you are part of the problem. You are vegan, but you’re still supporting a government that spends hundreds of millions of dollars perpetuating animal cruelty on a daily basis?

      Just because you aren’t vegan doesn’t mean you can’t believe that animals should be treated in a more ethical manner. Veganism is a imperfect human construct filled with internal contradictions based on western interpretation of ethics and cultural mores.

      • Riven@lemmy.dbzer0.com
        link
        fedilink
        arrow-up
        5
        arrow-down
        4
        ·
        5 months ago

        I bet that person also buys products that are either based on stuff that has had animal testing or actively does it. Bet they’re vaccinated.

    • Crackhappy@lemmy.world
      link
      fedilink
      English
      arrow-up
      9
      arrow-down
      3
      ·
      5 months ago

      I have never been persuaded to loathe myself as much as I am now, after reading your comment. Thank you.

    • xmunk@sh.itjust.works
      link
      fedilink
      arrow-up
      11
      arrow-down
      7
      ·
      5 months ago

      It’s insane how colonial veganism has become. It’s quite possible to be thankful to the animals and plants that give their lives to sustain you and quite eurocentric to view those two positions as incompatible.

        • xmunk@sh.itjust.works
          link
          fedilink
          arrow-up
          7
          arrow-down
          4
          ·
          5 months ago

          It is extremely awesome that you read “some cultures treat meat consumption differently” and replied, “you’re wrong” without any further comprehension of that difference. That is an excellent demonstration of how bull headed colonizers can be when pushing an agenda.

          • Sizzler@slrpnk.net
            link
            fedilink
            arrow-up
            5
            arrow-down
            10
            ·
            edit-2
            5 months ago

            It’s excellent to see how proudly you wear that chip on your shoulder. You are wrong, and me pointing out there are 250 million Indians who are vegan shows how wrong you are. Lose the hate, get with the program.

            3 animal abusers are upset lol.

            • ASeriesOfPoorChoices@lemmy.world
              link
              fedilink
              arrow-up
              3
              arrow-down
              3
              ·
              5 months ago

              based on your posts, you’ve convinced me to shoot squirrels with a pellet gun all afternoon.

              it won’t kill them, not quickly. But I figure making a couple dozen animals suffer and die a slow death in my neighbour’s yard will create a nice balance.

    • kandoh@reddthat.com
      link
      fedilink
      arrow-up
      4
      arrow-down
      1
      ·
      5 months ago

      You’re right, it’s just so hard because it’s all I’ve known and it’s everywhere around me 😔

    • NoIWontPickAName@kbin.earth
      link
      fedilink
      arrow-up
      10
      arrow-down
      8
      ·
      5 months ago

      When steak stops tasting good, or they finally nail lab grown meat at a low enough cost, maybe I’ll join you.

    • ealoe@ani.social
      link
      fedilink
      arrow-up
      3
      arrow-down
      1
      ·
      5 months ago

      Ok show me the plant I can use to test how drugs interact with living cells to determine their mechanisms of action in the human body, I’ll wait. You’d better not be taking any pills or going to the doctor ever after putting this shit take on the internet, because every drug product in use today has been tested on animals, with good reason. We need to know how this shit works, and I don’t see your ass lining up to be a test subject so we’re using a dog or rat or monkey.