Ridglan Farms, one of the largest breeders of beagles for scientific research in the United States, will stop breeding dogs by July 2026.
The company made a deal with a special prosecutor to avoid criminal charges and will surrender its license to breed dogs in the state of Wisconsin.
The farm is located in Blue Mounds, Wisconsin, and has been breeding and selling beagles for laboratory testing since 1966. Animal rights activists have criticized the farm for many years, calling for it to shut down.
Investigation into animal welfare
Earlier this year, the animal rights groups Direct Action Everywhere, Dane4Dogs and Alliance for Animals asked a Wisconsin court to assign a special prosecutor to investigate Ridglan Farms.
The court chose Tim Gruenke, a district attorney from La Crosse County, to lead the investigation.
Gruenke said the strongest evidence involved illegal surgeries. Staff at Ridglan Farms, who were not trained veterinarians, reportedly performed eye surgeries on dogs without using anesthesia.
While these actions could have led to criminal charges, Gruenke explained that the law limits what prosecutors can do. “I can’t shut down a business or take away a license. I can only charge a crime,” he said. But when Ridglan Farms agreed to close its breeding operations, he saw it as a better outcome than going to court.
3,000 dogs are still inside
Ridglan Farms has around 3,000 beagles remaining. According to the deal, the company can continue selling dogs to its current clients until July 1, 2026.
Any dogs left after that date must be surrendered and offered for adoption or rehoming.
“This will not only spare thousands of dogs from cruelty, it is also an important and historic step towards ending animal experimentation as a whole,” Direct Action Everywhere said.
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Disclaimer : This story is auto aggregated by a computer programme and has not been created or edited by DOWNTHENEWS. Publisher: theanimalreader.com
