Dozens of beagles are set to be killed after undergoing chemical testing at a Michigan lab.
The dogs will be killed so that their organs can be examined in July, as part of a test of a fungicide that the dogs were fed for a year, according to an investigation by the Humane Society of the United States.
The Humane Society predicts that some dogs in the high-dose category of the testing may die before July. The company doing the testing told the Humane Society of the United States and the Humane Society International that the tests using dogs were necessary to fulfill a Brazilian regulatory requirement.
Please read our statement in response to the report published today by the Humane Society of the United States. pic.twitter.com/kyNsPlSPzR
— Dow (@DowChemical) March 12, 2019
The testing is being administered by Corteva Agriscience, a division of Dow AgroSciences, as a way to test the effects of its new fungicide, Adavelt. The dogs are fed a gel capsule with a certain amount of the fungicide in it, and workers force it down their throats. Some dogs receive as many as four capsules at a time.
“We agree that there are better ways to attain the data needed for this study and have been working closely with the Humane Society of the U.S. for many months to encourage Brazil’s Agencia Nacional Vigilancia Sanitaria to amend its animal test requirements for pesticides,” Corteva Agriscience, a division of Dow AgroSciences, said in a statement obtained by the Daily News.
The Humane Society released a secretly recorded video, along with an online petition to get the beagles released from the Michigan lab. The video shows animals in the midst of testing at the lab, but doesn’t specify if they are all undergoing the same pesticide test in question.
Beagles and other kinds of dogs appear in various states of activity and sluggishness. Some dogs show scars from surgeries. One appears to be dead and is placed in a clear plastic wrapping or bag.
The footage also shows a tube being forced down a beagle’s throat, and a substance getting injected into the tube, while staff restrain the dog.
One staff member of the lab is on video saying, “He’s gonna die,” while passing another staff member holding a dog.
There is one beagle that the video focuses on, a dog named Harvey. They introduce him at the beginning of the video, and by the end a lab staff member can be heard saying, “Harvey is scheduled for a necropsy tomorrow,” meaning he will be killed so that results from testing can be examined.
The video says Harvey is one of over 60,000 dogs used in U.S. laboratories for testing each year. PETA says dogs are a favored type of animal for use in toxicological testing, including tests related to pharmaceuticals, industrial chemicals, pesticides, or household products.
Corteva Agriscience responded to the Humane Society’s findings, via Twitter. The statement says the company conforms to all guidelines, laws, regulations, and licensing requirements in its use of animals.
Please read our statement in response to the report published today by the Humane Society of the United States. pic.twitter.com/WO5mEpKTri
— Corteva Agriscience™ (@corteva) March 12, 2019
“At Corteva Agriscience, we care deeply about the welfare of animals. Consistent with industry practice, we conduct animal testing only when such testing is required by regulatory authorities, and we proactively engage with government officials to minimize or cease animal studies, where possible,” the statement reads, in part.
Dow has released multiple statements to Twitter on the animal testing. The latest one says that Dow was mentioned in a report as connected to a study that they are not directly related to.
Please read our updated statement in response to the report published yesterday by the Humane Society of the United States, which inaccurately attributes an animal testing study placed by @Corteva to Dow. pic.twitter.com/glNxWWJCRc
— Dow (@DowChemical) March 13, 2019
“A report by the Humane Society of the U.S. that was issued on March 12, 2019 inaccurately attributes an animal testing program to Dow. Corteva Agriscience initiated the study, and has independently operated as the Agricultural division of DowDuPont for the past two years as part of the pending separations.”
In PETA’s investigation of labs in the University of Utah that do testing on dogs, findings indicate the university obtained both cats and dogs used for testing from local animal shelters.
The Humane Society says that U.S. regulations don’t require yearlong testings of pesticides on dogs, but do require a 90-day test.
