Envigo
Closed~4,000
beagles rescued · 2022
- Cumberland, Virginia
- DOJ injunction + USDA enforcement
- Largest domestic dog-breeder rescue in U.S. history
- Facility closed
Save the dogs.
End the breeding.
Envigo closed in 2022. Ridglan closes July 1, 2026. Marshall is the last big breeder. The coalition works the federal funding lever — NIH grant moratoriums, FDA modernization, AWA enforcement — to shut the research-dog pipeline at the source.
The pipeline is collapsing
One breeder at a time.
Public pressure plus federal enforcement has a track record now. The same playbook is being applied to Marshall — the only question is whose voice closes it next.
Ridglan Farms
ClosingJul 1, 2026
WI license surrender
- Blue Mounds, Wisconsin
- ~500 dogs still inside
- Rescue groups under agreement to take ~1,500 beagles
- Coalition pushes for every remaining dog to come out alive
Marshall BioResources
Operating~23,000
research dogs · NY
- North Rose, NY (Wayne County)
- Largest research-dog breeder left in the U.S.
- Coalition works the policy lever — NIH funding
- State regulatory authority over Class R labs
What the law does and doesn't cover
The U.S. animal-research floor is much lower than Europe's.
The Animal Welfare Act covers ~5% of laboratory animals. EU Directive 2010/63 covers all vertebrates + cephalopods. That gap is what the federal levers are trying to close.
~5%
of U.S. lab animals covered by the AWA
Birds, rats, mice, and farm animals are statutorily excluded. The 95% of laboratory animals outside AWA scope are protected only by NIH/FDA guidelines.
Source →
100%
of vertebrates covered in the EU since 2010
Directive 2010/63/EU brought all vertebrates plus cephalopods under research-animal protection. The U.S. floor is much lower.
Source →
20+
AWA citations against Marshall since 2007
Largest commercial dealer of beagles + ferrets to research; ferret breeding largest in the world. Citation history is part of the public record the coalition uses.
Source →
311
alleged violations in the Oct 2025 Ridglan settlement
Wisconsin DATCP settlement covered 311 alleged violations; Ridglan agreed to surrender its DATCP breeding license effective July 1, 2026.
Source →
Where pressure works
Six federal levers — and where each one stands.
Some are statutory. Some are appropriations. Some are regulatory pressure on the agencies. Each one closes the research-dog pipeline at a different point.
NIH grant moratorium
HHS Sec. Kennedy + NIH Dir. Bhattacharya have signaled openness to animal-testing reduction. Rep. Langworthy (NY-23) sent the first formal letter Apr 24, 2026. The ask: an NIH grant moratorium on Class A dealers with active AWA citations.
Active · letters circulating
FDA Modernization Act 3.0
Federal vehicle to push HHS, NIH, and FDA toward non-animal research methods (organ-on-chip, advanced computational toxicology). Phases out the 1938 mandate to test on animals.
Pending · Senate vote
AWA enforcement (USDA APHIS)
The AWA sets a floor — birds, lab rats, mice, and farm animals are explicitly excluded. Class B random-source dealers were a major scandal source; Class A breeders (Envigo, Ridglan, Marshall) are AWA-licensed and citable. Enforcement vigor varies cycle to cycle.
Statutory · ongoing
State regulatory authority
WI's DATCP holds the Ridglan license. NY has not yet exercised parallel authority over Marshall. The Class R (research) registration mostly sits outside state authority — federal levers reach where state can't.
State-by-state
Public pressure → enforcement
Envigo (2022) and Ridglan (2026) both moved when public pressure plus federal enforcement combined. The coalition uses the same playbook on Marshall: build the public record, drive the enforcement ask, name the funders.
Track record
Puppy Protection Act (H.R. 2253)
Sets enforceable AWA standards for federally-licensed commercial breeders >4 breeding females (solid flooring, body-length-based space, twice-daily feeding, vet care, socialization). Excluded from the 2026 Farm Bill — recurring loss the coalition is pushing standalone.
Standalone · Durbin lead
Champions in Congress
Members already pulling the federal funding lever.
Rep. Langworthy (NY-23) sent the first formal NIH-funding-cut letter on April 24, 2026. Rep. Pocan (WI-2) is the long-running Madison-anchored ally on Ridglan. Other members will land on this list once they take a public position on the Class A grant-moratorium ask.
The animal-protection coalition
Six orgs working to close the pipeline.
Investigative reporting, federal lobbying, litigation, rescue logistics, and policy. Different campaigns, shared playbook.
Save the Ridglan Dogs Coalition
Phauna Project + multi-org
The coalition that drove the WI license surrender (effective 7/1/26) and the rescue-group purchase agreement on the remaining beagles.
Visit →
Free the Beagles
freethebeagles.com
Investigative reporting, public-records requests, and rescue logistics on the research-beagle pipeline. Envigo and Ridglan documentation.
Visit →
Animal Wellness Action
Center for a Humane Economy · Wayne Pacelle
Federal advocacy on AWA enforcement, NIH funding pressure, and the Marshall accountability track. Drove FY2025 strip amendments.
Visit →
Animal Legal Defense Fund
ALDF
Litigation posture on commercial-breeder enforcement and AWA scope. Active on the Puppy Protection Act floor push.
Visit →
Humane World for Animals
(formerly HSUS)
Lead on the Puppy Protection Act campaign + cross-state retail pet-sale bans that constrain the puppy-mill / lab-breeder pipeline.
Visit →
Pro-Animal Future
PAF · proanimal.org
Works the policy lever on NY research dogs (NIH funding, state regulatory authority over Class R labs). Supports the Ridglan coalition.
Visit →
Where this lands
Five states are at the center of this fight.
Each state page surfaces this fight at the top, with that state's two senators as the action target.
Take action
Your reps decide whether the funding flows.
Enter your address. The site returns your senators and House rep with phone numbers and the talking points the coalition uses to push HHS, NIH, and the FDA toward non-animal methods.
Two minutes. Talking points + numbers included.