by Associated PressFriday, May 20th 2022

FILE – Beagle (Photo by Jamie McCarthy/Getty Images)
RICHMOND, Va. (AP) — Federal officials have accused 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.
That’s according to a lawsuit the government filed Thursday against Envigo RMS.
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The facility in Cumberland County has been under increasing scrutiny for months, drawing concerns from animal rights groups, members of Congress and Virginia lawmakers.
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Repeated federal inspections since Envigo acquired the facility in 2019 have found dozens of violations.
A spokesman said the company was working on a statement and would have a response Friday.