Illegal Virginia beagle facility must cease breeding new puppies: judge

The power will solely be allowed to switch the beagles to purchasers who signed contracts for the canines earlier than Could 21.
PETA

LYNCHBURG, Va. — A federal choose is permitting an organization that runs a central Virginia analysis dog-breeding facility to renew promoting some canines for biomedical analysis functions, however he ordered Envigo RMS to stop breeding new puppies.

US District Choose Norman Moon’s determination comes as the power’s homeowners put together to shutter it completely, WRIC-TV reported. Final month, federal officers accused the Cumberland County facility of a sequence of animal-welfare violations and seized almost 150 beagles.

Envigo will solely be allowed to switch the beagles to purchasers who signed contracts for the canines earlier than Could 21, when the court docket issued a brief restraining order towards the corporate resulting from severe violations of the Animal Welfare Act.

Indianapolis-based Envigo breeds beagles for medical analysis on the facility, which has drawn considerations from animal rights teams, members of Congress and Virginia lawmakers.

“There's good cause to assume that the general public curiosity can be higher served by permitting Defendant to satisfy its contracts,” Moon wrote.

Individuals for the Moral Therapy of Animals opposed the choice permitting Envigo to promote a number of the canines. Prosecutors sought to have the corporate barred from making gross sales, aiming to push the corporate to place the animals up for adoption.

Prosecutors and Envigo have till Wednesday to determine find out how to switch all 3,000 canines from the power.