USDA Fines Labcorp in Bedford for Violations Resulting in Animal Deaths: PETA Statement

For Immediate Release:
September 20, 2022

Contact:
Tasgola Bruner 202-483-7382

Please see the following statement from PETA Vice President Dr. Alka Chandna regarding a fine levied by the U.S. Department of Agriculture in an August 2022 Citation and Notification Penalty against the Labcorp location in Bedford, New Hampshire (formerly known as Toxikon Corporation), for three critical violations of federal animal welfare regulations—the most severe category—documented in inspection reports dated October 15, 2018, April 8, 2019, and May 26, 2021:

The company has changed its logo from Toxikon to Labcorp, but inside, it’s the same hell for dogs, rabbits, guinea pigs, and other animals imprisoned in the contract organization’s laboratories. According to a just-posted federal report, the U.S. Department of Agriculture fined Labcorp $3,375 for violations of minimum animal welfare standards—including inadequate veterinary care, personnel incompetence, and careless handling of animals. In one incident, experimenters failed to notify veterinarians that a rabbit was in serious decline and had experienced a 27% loss of bodyweight. The animal was found trapped in an e-collar, which resulted in “a laceration and swelling of the muzzle … that caused narrowing of the animal’s airway and respiratory distress.” In another incident, a rabbit sustained a spinal fracture because of improper handling and had to be euthanized. In a third incident, an animal died while being anesthetized, because an experimenter failed to open a valve.

Labcorp posted $16 billion in revenue last year, so a fine of $3,375 is unlikely to deter mistreatment of animals. More likely, it will be seen as the cost of doing business. However, Labcorp should modernize its testing program by leaving archaic and cruel animal tests behind and using only sophisticated, human-relevant methods.

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