CUMBERLAND COUNTY, Va. (WRIC) — Envigo, the company behind the medical dog breeding facility under fire by federal investigators announced their Cumberland County facility will close. The announcement late Monday night comes hours after the company’s legal team expressed willingness to ‘wind down’ operations according to a federal court filing.
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“The required investments to improve the facility and the lead time to achieve these improvements have recently increased. As a result, we have decided we will not be investing further in this facility, and it will be closed,” according to an online statement from Inotiv, which brands itself as a provider of “nonclinical and analytical drug discovery and development services.”
The breeding facility has been marred by federal complaints and animal welfare violations cited by the USDA and exposed in 8News investigative reporting as well as an undercover operation by PETA.
The news comes after a federal judge slapped a temporary restraining order on Envigo in late May after Inspections found dogs malnourished, sick, injured and kept in excessive heat.
Since initial complaints, hundreds of dogs have been turned over.
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Envigo Beagles at Cumberland Facility -
Envigo Beagle at Cumberland Facility -
Envigo Beagles at Cumberland Facility -
FILE – Emily Neal feeds her adopted dog Tannis a treat as Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin signs five bills to penalize animal cruelty and prohibit the sale of dogs or cats for experimental purposes on Monday, April 4, 2022 in Richmond, Va. Federal officials have accused Envigo, a company that runs a Virginia facility breeding dogs for research, of violating animal welfare law and recently seized at least 145 beagles found to be in “acute distress,” according to a lawsuit filed, Thursday, May 19, 2022. (Alexa Welch Edlund/Richmond Times-Dispatch via AP, File)
The conditions at Envigo’s facility prompted responses from several legislators and inspired “Beagle Bills” intended to protect animals in breeding facilities, five of which were signed by Gov. Glenn Youngkin in April.
But what about the future of the dogs at Envigo?
Dan Paden, PETA’s associate director of evidence analysis said, “My hope is that all of those animals are made available for adoption. Not a single one more is sent off to a laboratory.”
Paden, and an official news release from PETA made before the closure announcement, stated they believe it would be in bad taste for Envigo to sell the dogs for profit, given the extreme federal violations found on site.
“They want to try to ring every last penny they can from those dogs and from those buildings before they eventually close it down,” Paden said.
Envigo’s intentions for the dogs, and their assets were not immediately detailed. The company’s statement said, “We will implement an orderly closure plan.”
An Envigo spokesperson told 8News that no one was available to immediately answer follow-up questions after their announcement Monday night.
