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Ridglan Farms beagle testing facility continues to draw national attention
MADISON, Wis. (Gray) - U.S. Rep. Mark Pocan, Lara Trump, Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. and Baywatch star Alexandra Paul can agree on at least one thing: they’re worried about the beagles at Ridglan Farms.
Saturday’s protest at Ridglan Farms caught eyes from across the country, where 1,000 animal activists attempted to break free 2,000 beagles from the animal testing and breeding site.
“Right now you’re still giving money through the NIH that are using beagles from this highly questionable farm,” Pocan said during a U.S. House Labor, Health and Human Services and Education hearing.
“I believe you, but I have a hard time believing that. I need to look into that, because we’ve done more than any other administration in history to end animal testing,” Kennedy, the U.S. health secretary, said.
On Monday, protesters took to the Wisconsin State Capitol to demand meetings with Governor Evers and Attorney General Josh Kaul, asking the state to do more to close the facility.
In response, Kaul declined to comment.
“As you know there’s ongoing legal matters, in light of that, I’m not going to be commenting on this issue at this point in time,” Kaul said.
Evers took no questions at the Capitol on Thursday. At an Earth Day event on Wednesday, Evers told reporters he, “frankly has no authority over what happens there.”
Evers oversees the state’s Department of Agriculture, Trade and Consumer Protection, the agency tasked with inspecting Ridglan Farms.
Dane County Sheriff Kalvin Barrett asked DATCP to conduct a coordinated unannounced walkthrough inspection of Ridglan Farms. DATCP denied the request.
“I hope that the community and all of the activists know too, there are limitations to what we can do as a sheriff’s office,” Barrett said. “When you have federal and state licenses that are in place, it will be against the law for us to violate that.”
Ridglan Farms has denied animal abuse allegations. Last fall, the facility agreed to give up its state breeding license by July 1 to avoid being prosecuted for animal mistreatment.