MATTAWAN, Mich. (WWJ/AP) - A western Michigan laboratory has halted pesticide testing on beagles, after the Humane Society of the United States raised concerns about the animals' treatment.
Corteva Agriscience, a division of DowDuPont Inc., said Monday that Brazilian regulators had approved a waiver allowing the company to end testing. The testing was contracted to Charles River Laboratories in Mattawan, which is located about 10 miles west of Kalamazoo.
Corteva said it's working to help find homes for the animals involved in the study.
The Human Society last week released an undercover investigation into the lab. The group said one experiment involved 36 beagles that were being used in a yearlong pesticide test for a product being developed by Corteva, and that the dogs not killed by the pesticides were scheduled to be euthanized this summer.
Humane Society President and CEO Kitty Block calls the decision "a huge win."
"This is a significant step that is critical to the welfare of the dogs," the group wrote in an update posted to its website. "Please continue to sign and share the petition to urge Corteva to work with us to get these dogs out of the laboratory and to our shelter and rescue partners so that they can be adopted into loving homes."
The Humane Soceity says more than 60,000 dogs are used in toxicity tests and research every year in the U.S.