Will pay over $35M, including record fine, where 4,000 Beagles were surrendered
WASHINGTON – On June 3, 2024, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced that Envigo RMS LLC pleaded guilty 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.
“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 David M. Uhlmann, Assistant Administrator of EPA’s Office of Enforcement and Compliance Assurance. “Everyone victimized in this precedentsetting animal welfare case deserved better: the workers, the beagles, the environment and the community. Envigo deserves every dollar of its record fine.”
“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 United States Attorney Christopher R. Kavanaugh. “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.”
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 that exposed the facility workers and dogs to insufficiently treated wastewater contaminated with fecal matter, which was also discharged into a local waterway. In addition, the investigation into the environmental violations found that contaminated well water was provided to the dogs for drinking water and was used to power wash kennels, creating an increased risk of disease.
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.
The EPA’s Criminal Investigation Division and the USDA’s Office of Inspector General 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 attorneys in the Environmental Crimes Section of DOJ’s Environmental and National Resources Division, and assistant and special assistant U.S. attorneys prosecuted the case.
