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.
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.
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.