Cases Against Chronic Violators

The Animal Welfare Act (AWA), passed in 1966, sets minimum standards of care—including housing, handling, sanitation, food, water, veterinary care, and protection from weather extremes— that must be provided for some species of warm-blooded animals. Entities that use AWA-covered species in laboratories or breed such animals for use in laboratories are regulated and inspected by the US Department of Agriculture and must maintain an AWA registration (for laboratory use) or license (for breeding). Additionally, research institutions that use any species of vertebrates and receive Public Health Service (PHS) funding—such as grants from the National Institutes of Health (NIH)—must also comply with the PHS Policy on Humane Care and Use of Laboratory Animals and the Guide for Care and Use of Laboratory Animals. Failure to comply with these and other relevant laws and regulations can result in poor welfare outcomes for animals bred for and used in laboratories, and violators must be held accountable.   

Summaries and documentation related to several such cases of note are provided below:

Envigo/Inotiv Dog Breeder Case

In May 2022, a federal court in Virginia granted the US Department of Justice a temporary restraining order against Envigo RMS, LLC for violating the Animal Welfare Act and its implementing regulations and standards by failing to, among other claims, provide adequate veterinary care and safe and sanitary living conditions for the more than 3,000 beagles at Envigo’s facility located in Cumberland, Virginia. The restraining order followed execution of a federal search warrant at the facility, during which law enforcement officers seized a total of 446 dogs and puppies needing immediate care.

Moulton Chinchilla Ranch Case

On October 8, 2021, an administrative law judge permanently revoked the dealer license of Dan Moulton, owner of Moulton Chinchilla Ranch (MCR), one of the nation’s primary suppliers of chinchillas for experimentation. For years, AWI has been raising concerns about the abysmal conditions at MCR, which for decades has sold its chinchillas to research facilities around the country, and calling out the US Department of Agriculture for failing to prevent the suffering of animals by enforcing the AWA.

Santa Cruz Biotechnology Case

Santa Cruz Biotechnology (SCBT) was one of the world’s largest suppliers of research antibodies derived from animals. For more than a decade, SCBT received numerous citations from USDA inspectors over number of egregious violations of the Animal Welfare Act with respect to SCBT’s treatment of goats and rabbits. AWI helped get the situation publicized in tens of thousands of media outlets, including the scientific journal Nature. In the end, the USDA filed multiple complaints against SCBT, which culminated in a settlement involving unprecedented penalties levied against the company and cancellation of the facility’s research registration, revocation of its dealer license, and payment of a historic $3.5 million civil penalty. The company was also permanently banned in the United States from selling antibodies derived from species covered under the Animal Welfare Act. 

University of Missouri-Kansas City Complaint

In August 2022, a whistleblower contacted AWI and alleged long-standing animal neglect and deaths at the University of Missouri-Kansas City over the previous 17 months. In September 2022, AWI filed a complaint with OLAW regarding the whistleblower’s new allegations, making clear that enforced self-regulation had failed at UMKC.