The law
Not federal. Not state. Not international. Every existing framework regulates conditions, not the practice itself. Public pressure is what forced Ridglan to settle. The same pressure can change the law.
The U.S. Animal Welfare Act explicitly excludes ~95% of laboratory animals.
Federal
Federal · last amended 2008
The closest thing the U.S. has to laboratory-animal protection law. Governs housing, handling, transport, and pain reporting — but explicitly excludes rats, mice, and birds bred for research, ~95% of lab animals. Beagles are covered, but the standards are minimal: dogs can be kept in 0.44 m² of floor space (vs. the EU's 4.0 m² minimum).
Federal · signed into law
Removed the 1938 statutory requirement that drugs be tested on animals before FDA approval. Permits non-animal alternatives — but doesn't mandate them. In practice, FDA reviewers still expect animal data, so the law's effect has been limited.
Federal · passed Senate, awaiting House
Directs the FDA to publish formal guidance on alternatives and includes a phased rollout starting with monoclonal antibodies in April 2025. Call your U.S. House representative and ask them to vote yes. Pocan and Langworthy have led; every member should follow.
Federal regulation · 1966–present
Three tiers: Class A (breeders like Ridglan and Marshall), Class B (random-source dealers — effectively eliminated in 2023 after sustained pressure), Class C (exhibitors). The licensing exists; the enforcement is the problem. In one Wisconsin case, state inspectors found 311 violations at a facility where USDA had found none.
17 states have passed adoption-after-research laws. New York hasn't.
State
State · 2014–present
Require laboratories to offer dogs and cats for adoption after studies end, instead of euthanasia. First passed in Minnesota (2014); now law in 17 states. As of October 2025, the NIH formally permits grant funds to cover rehoming costs — closing the budget excuse labs used to lean on.
Wisconsin's SB 414 is the model bill for the next wave of states. New York, where Marshall BioResources operates, has not yet passed one.
State agencies · case-by-case
State agriculture departments can investigate animal-cruelty violations at facilities the USDA doesn't reach. Wisconsin DATCP is currently winding down Ridglan; New York's AG has the same authority over Marshall and hasn't used it. State attorneys general can act unilaterally.
EU Directive 2010/63 covers 100% of vertebrates. U.S. law covers ~5%.
International
European Union · all 27 member states
Covers 100% of laboratory vertebrates — including the rats, mice, and birds the U.S. AWA excludes. Mandates 4.0 m² minimum floor space per dog, limits single housing to 4 hours, and requires retrospective assessment of every project. The U.S. has nothing equivalent.
Animal Welfare Act minimum
A beagle in a U.S. lab can be kept in 0.44 m² of floor space — about 4.7 square feet. The EU minimum is 4.0 m², nearly ten times as much. Single-housing is unrestricted under U.S. law; the EU limits it to four hours.
The regulatory machine
Even with the FDA Mod Act's permission to skip animal tests, the day-to-day rules driving demand for beagles aren't laws — they're agency guidances. Reviewers won't approve submissions without them. Changing these is the next fight.
Requires toxicology data from one rodent + one non-rodent species before human trials. Has no force of law, but deviations are almost never accepted by reviewers.
Names the dog — specifically the beagle — as the preferred non-rodent species. Minimum four animals per sex per dose group. This is why beagles, not other breeds.
Specifies dogs as the preferred non-rodent species for pesticide testing — explicitly references beagles.
What you can do
The laws above exist because someone called and someone wrote and someone showed up. The next ones will, too.