If you’re like me, and you’ve been keeping up with the situation at Ridglan Farms, you know that while 1,500 of the beagles there were freed last month, about 500 remained locked up in that horrific place. I know many of you have expressed your concern for the remaining dogs in the comments sections of my previous articles on this topic.
If you are one of those people, I have some great news. Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. and Department of Agriculture Secretary (USDA) Brooke Rollins announced Monday that those remaining dogs — there are about 475 — will be removed from the facility and placed with a no-kill shelter, where they’ll be prepared for adoption and the opportunity for a much brighter future.
The two thanked Lara Trump, Donald Trump’s daughter-in-law, for her help. She’s been very involved in this whole process. Rollins also basically said that Ridglan Farms is on notice to follow through with giving up its breeding license by July, and if it does not change its practices the USDA will begin the termination process.
In case you’re not familiar with the situation, Ridglan Farms is a “Wisconsin-based research facility that breeds dogs for its own purposes and to sell to other facilities for experiments like toxicity testing and vaccine and drug development. It’s the second-largest of its kind in the United States, and it’s been in business for about six decades.”
Here’s more about the situation that I wrote last month:
For years, animal welfare advocates accused Ridglan Farms of inhumane practices and mistreating the beagles it breeds. They claimed they lived in awful conditions with no exercise or socialization, and no access to the outdoors. I’ve read about accusations ranging from piles of waste everywhere to a strong scent of ammonia throughout the building to dogs forced to walk on floors essentially made of chicken wire. They even claimed that procedures, like cherry eye surgery, were performed on the dogs without veterinary oversight or pain relief.
Ridglan denied this, of course, but at some point, employees also began to speak out.
Eventually, a Dane County judge found probable cause for animal cruelty violations. Rather than go to trial, Ridglan Farms agreed to a settlement that would involve giving up its breeding license by July 2026 and following the conditions laid out by the court.
Even more exciting, they announced that the Trump administration is launching a new National Institute of Health (NIH) office, the Office of Research Innovation, Validation, and Application (ORIVA), to “speed the transition away from animal testing and toward modern, human-based science.”
Here’s the full announcement:
Today @USDA @SecRollins and I secured a major win for animal welfare.
Ridglan Farms will transfer its remaining 475 beagles out of a research breeding facility and into the care of a no-kill rescue, where they can begin the path to adoption.
Thank you, @LaraLeaTrump, for… pic.twitter.com/gmxiZeYc7k
— Secretary Kennedy (@SecKennedy) June 15, 2026
According to a press release, ORIVA will “validate and scale New Approach Methodologies, or NAMs, including 3D human tissue models, computational tools and other animal-free methods that can better reflect human biology.” These methods are said to be much more accurate and effective than animal testing anyway, especially as these ideas have exploded in recent years.
Here’s more from NIH:
Traditional animal models have helped advance scientific knowledge and supported the development of safe and effective treatments. However, differences between animals and humans can limit how well animal data translate to human biology. NAMs give researchers more tools to study human health and disease in ways that can be replicable, translatable and efficient, while reducing or replacing animal use where appropriate.
Housed in the Division of Program Coordination, Planning, and Strategic Initiatives (DPCPSI) in the NIH Office of the Director (OD), ORIVA will take a two-pronged approach. One division will support innovations in the research community by developing new funding opportunities, research infrastructure, and training resources. The other will coordinate a multi-agency effort to facilitate the evaluation and acceptance of new research methods.
‘NIH is committed to accelerating innovation and transparently assessing where animal use can be reduced or eliminated by transitioning to NAMs,’ said Nicole Kleinstreuer, Ph.D, NIH Deputy Director for Program Coordination, Planning, and Strategic Initiatives. ‘The goal of ORIVA is to create systemic change, enacting a foundational shift across the scientific landscape that will translate to better human health.’
This is excellent news, and something that everyone across the political spectrum should applaud the Trump administration for finally stopping. Not only is animal testing becoming increasingly ineffective and outdated, but it’s barbaric. I’ve been following the lives of some of the beagles that were rescued in May on social media, and many of them are heartbreaking to watch. Some of the dogs do not know how to run or even drink from a water bowl.
I’ve written a few updates and shared some of those videos in previous articles. If you’re interested, you can check them out here:
1. Touching the Ground for the First Time
2. A Better Life Ahead for Some Good Boys and Girls
3. A (Not Sad) Update on the Ridglan Farms Beagles
Editor’s Note: President Trump is leading America into the “Golden Age” as Democrats try desperately to stop it.
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