The Washington, D.C.-based Center for a Humane Economy celebrated the release of the last set of dogs from Ridglan Farms, signaling the impending closure of what was until recently the second-largest beagle supplier in the nation.
The group, the first organization of its kind in the animal protection movement, encourages businesses to honor their social responsibilities “to forge a humane economic order.”
“We were pleased to have led the negotiations with Ridglan Farms to secure the first 1,635 dogs from the laboratory breeding supply company,” Wayne Pacelle, president of the Center for a Humane Economy and Animal Wellness Action, said in a press release.
“That negotiation was set up by our work to pass the FDA Modernization Act 2.0, which eliminated an 84-year-old mandate for animal testing in drug screening.”
During the legislative campaign that led to passage of the act, Pacelle said the center made the case that animal testing is expensive, slow and ineffective and that there are superior, human-relevant testing methods available.
Ridglan Farms, which has been in business for 60 years, “would never have relinquished its animals if the animal-testing requirement had remained in place,” Pacelle said.
The organizations offered special praise to Wisconsin Special Prosecutor Tim Gruenke, whose agreement with Ridglan limited the company’s future commercial opportunities.
They also offered special thanks to Joseph Goode, an attorney with Laffey, Leitner & Goode LLC, who was the lead negotiator with the attorney for Ridglan Farms.
The most recent USDA figures reported approximately 42,000 dogs and more than 107,000 primates are used in laboratory testing in a single year.
