The Department of Justice recently made history when in June, it finally held a research company named Inotivqueen9play, accountable for the needless suffering of thousands of beagles at its mass breeding facility in Virginia.
It was gratifying to see Inotiv, which specializes in nonclinical and analytical drug discovery and development services, take some responsibility for its actions and face a $35 million fine for the cruelty imposed on these dogs at one of its subsidiaries, Envigo.
While many of the nearly four thousand beagles were rescued by the Humane Society of the United States when the facility was shut down and have since been adopted into loving families, the Envigo case is just one of many examples that showcases the systemic problems the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) has enforcing the Animal Welfare Act, and it is critical that we take steps to ensure other animals don’t suffer the same inhumane treatment.
The USDA is tasked with protecting animals, and although the agency documented dozens of violations at Envigo’s now-shuttered breeding facility over several months, it did not fine or shut them down. This is a pattern we’ve seen far too often from the USDA: even when a facility has a long history of violations, the agency rarely takes action.
In 2021, the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals ( ASPCA ), which I lead, jumped in to rescue more than 500 dogs from similarly horrific conditions at a USDA-licensed puppy mill in Iowa.
Despite documenting serious violations, including dogs living in small, filthy cages in sweltering heat and dogs sick and dying from disease and illness, the USDA did not remove a single dog or revoke the mill’s license. Instead, it stood by while dogs like Goldie suffered and died on the agency’s watch.
For months, this facility continued breeding and selling dogs – including to puppy-selling pet stores across Florida, according to documents filed with the state. These documents revealed that the majority of puppies shipped to Florida pet stores were from commercial breeders and brokers in the Midwest, like the cruel puppy mill where Goldie died.
These cases are just two examples of the USDA’s failure to enforce the law. According to an ASPCA report analyzing the USDA’s data from last year, federal inspectors documented more than 1,000 violations of care by over 400 licensed commercial dog dealers.
Yet, the agency only took action against four dog dealers. The best way to honor Goldie and countless other animals at USDA-licensed facilities is to make sure no other animal endures the same unacceptable fate.
Now, Congress has an opportunity to address these enforcement failures by passing Goldie’s Act, a bill being co-led by Florida Republican Sen. Rick Scott.
We applaud Scott for his leadership on Goldie’s Act in the Senate and appreciate the support of other Florida representatives, including both Democrats and Republicans like Maria Elvira Salazar, Carlos Gimenez, Maxwell Frost and Mike Waltz, who have also signed on as co-sponsors of the bill.
This federal bill, inspired by the plight of Goldie, would prevent hundreds of thousands of other vulnerable dogs from meeting the same fate by requiring the USDA to conduct more frequent and meaningful inspections, provide lifesaving intervention for suffering animals, issue penalties for violations and communicate with local law enforcement to address cruelty and neglect.
As members of Congress consider the upcoming Farm Bill, we urge them to include Goldie’s in the final bill to hold the USDA accountable for enforcement of the law and ensure dogs in puppy mills get the protections they deserve.
Matt Bershadker is president & CEO of the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (ASPCA).
This story was originally published September 30, 2024, 5:47 AM.
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