Animal Welfare Act
USDA License Classes
The USDA's Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) administers three license classes under the Animal Welfare Act. Class A breeders are the origin point of virtually every research beagle in America — and with two of the three major breeders now closed, the supply chain has never been more concentrated.
USDA License Classes: Who Can Sell Animals for Research
The three-tier licensing system under the Animal Welfare Act
Class A — Breeders
Purpose-breed animals for sale to research facilities. These are the source of virtually all beagles entering US laboratories.
~3 major active facilities supply the majority of US research beagles
Class B — Dealers
NEARLY EXTINCTBuy and resell animals not bred on their premises. Historically included "random-source" dealers who obtained animals from pounds and auctions.
2023 appropriations bill prohibited new Class B licenses for dogs/cats
Class C — Exhibitors
Display animals to the public — zoos, circuses, marine parks. Not a significant pipeline for research beagles.
Not a primary concern for beagle testing, but shares the same regulatory framework
The Supply Chain
From purpose-bred to endpoint — the path of a research beagle
The consolidation problem: With Envigo closed (2022) and Ridglan surrendering its license (2025), Marshall BioResources is now the dominant Class A beagle breeder in the US. Class B dealers — once a secondary supply — were legislatively eliminated in 2023. The beagle supply chain has never been more concentrated.
Class A breeders are the origin point of the beagle pipeline. Understanding the licensing system reveals how a handful of facilities supply tens of thousands of dogs annually — and why Class B dealer elimination concentrated power in purpose-breeders.
Source: USDA APHIS Licensing Database; 7 U.S.C. §2132
Inspection Frequency
APHIS sets inspection schedules based on risk and license class. Inspections are supposed to be unannounced, though facilities may infer timing from patterns.
The Class B Phase-Out
The 2023 federal appropriations bill included language that effectively ended Class B dog and cat dealing. The provision prohibited USDA from issuing or renewing Class B licenses for random-source dogs and cats.
This was the culmination of decades of advocacy focused on eliminating the pipeline from pounds and random sources into laboratories. Class B dealers were historically controversial because of links to stolen pets and pound seizure — the very problem that prompted the original AWA in 1966.
The unintended consequence: Eliminating Class B dealers concentrated supply power in Class A purpose-breeders. With fewer sources, facilities like Marshall BioResources became even more dominant — and harder to pressure, because labs have fewer alternatives.
Available Enforcement Tools
When violations are found, APHIS has a range of options — from warnings to license revocations. In practice, enforcement tends toward the lenient end.
Maximum civil penalty: $10,000 per violation per day (increased from $2,500 in 2008). In practice, USDA rarely imposes anywhere near the maximum.