USDA Issues Historic Fine Against Biotech Company in Animal Welfare Settlement
Santa Cruz Biotechnology, Inc. has agreed to pay a $3.5 million fine, and revoke its research registration and dealer license in accordance with terms of a legal settlement with the U.S. Dept. of Agriculture.
The fine is the largest ever issued by the USDA for Animal Welfare Act violations. The largest previous fine imposed for animal-welfare complaints was a $270,000 penalty in 2011 against Feld Entertainment, the operators of Ringling Brothers and Barnum & Baily Circus, according to a report by Nature.
Santa Cruz Biotech was ranked the second largest antibody supplier in the U.S. in 2012, according to an international survey by The Scientist. The firm harvests antibodies from the blood of thousands of goats and rabbits, and sells the molecules to public and private research groups. The antibodies are mainly used in biology labs to deliver treatments to cells.
The settlement, which was announced May 20, was the final resolution of ongoing citations and complaints between the USDA and Santa Cruz Biotech over the course of the last few years.
“On this 50th anniversary of the Animal Welfare Act, the USDA has at long last secured a penalty that is commensurate with the allegations,” said Cathy Liss, president of the Animal Welfare Institute, which brought media attention to the complaints and reports against Santa Cruz Biotech for years.
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