Stop Marshall Farm's Animal Testing
- by: Kalin Gernand
- recipient: Gilman/ Executive Staff Marshall, Marshall Farms
In advertisements for Marshall Pet Products, the company claims it "…cares as deeply about your ferret’s health and well-being as you do," but the ads the Marshall family doesn’t want the caring public to see are run in Lab Animal magazine. These ads prove that the ferrets and beagles they breed are nothing more than commodities to them. The following are from Marshall ads in Lab Animal: "All Marshall animals are raised in elevated, indoor pens that simulate the laboratory environment…"; "[b]y tracking all important characteristics and genetic information, and then weeding out undesirable stock, Marshall Farms can supply beagles ideal for research."
Life at Marshall Farms
Marshall Farms’ beagles and ferrets are born in small, elevated wire enclosures–the same types of wire enclosures they will be confined to for their entire lives.
These beagles have lived out their entire existence in tiny wire cages, confused and frightened.
Breeding females are kept at this facility for their entire reproductive lives. They produce litter upon litter until their exhausted bodies wear out and then they are killed.
Marshall Farms has been repeatedly cited for violating the bare minimum requirements of the federal Animal Welfare Act (AWA), thus, constantly putting its animals’ welfare at stake. Listed below are just a few examples of Marshall Farms’ disregard for the government’s minimal requirements.
Inadequate Veterinary Care: Marshall Farms’ failure to provide proper veterinary care as evidenced in U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) inspection reports includes failure to provide dogs with proper veterinary treatment. Clinic cleanliness and invasive surgical procedures have also been cited as inadequate. During one inspection, it was noted that technicians (not veterinarians) were performing surgeries without using masks or head covers. The inspector stated that a technician actually had long hair hanging into the operating field. Outdated veterinary drugs have been found at Butler Farms (owned by Marshall Farms) during inspections.
Transport Violations: Airport inspections are sporadic, yet Marshall Farms has been repeatedly cited for violating transport regulations. In 1991, Marshall Farms’ shipping conditions were so deplorable that Swiss Air refused shipment of its beagles. Gary Marshall, President of Marshall Farms, was charged with 74 counts of cruelty, faced a $220,000 fine, and received a warning by the USDA. Despite the severity of the incident, Marshall Farms continued to violate transport regulations and received yet another warning from the USDA in 1997.
Improper Sanitation: Urine, food, and dirt have been found caked in the dogs’ cages. Excessive hair and debris have been found in the ventilating systems, cages, and ceilings.
Broken boards and rusted wires have been found protruding into the animals’ cages. Inspectors have found open or exposed bags of food and bedding, creating a serious risk for contamination.
Inadequate Space: Marshall Farms animals are kept in spaces only big enough for them to sit, stand, and turn around. The company plans to confine animals in the same manner if permitted to establish in France, despite the fact that European law requires a much larger space be provided to "non-laboratory" animals (dogs housed at Marshall Farms are not laboratory animals until they are purchased and transported to a laboratory) and prohibits the use of wire cages outside of a laboratory environment as well. Even though Marshall Farms offers each animal such a tiny space, inspectors have found many cages with numerous puppies illegally stuffed into them. For example, one space built for no more than four puppies was crammed with eight.
Marshall Farms has also been cited for using painful wire flooring. Dogs were seen having trouble walking on the flooring and puppies' feet fell through the wire holes (the animals’ urine and feces lay directly below). The ferret flooring was cited as inadequate (ferrets were described as "swimming" across the floor to avoid discomfort) and such flooring was still found at the facility – three years after this citation.
A Cause of Carelessness and Neglect:
Marshall Farms increases profits and reduces costs by keeping a limited staff. According to a recent Dunn & Bradstreet business report, Marshall Farms employs 70 people on its North Rose, N.Y. property, including officers. According to a recent USDA inspection report, the facility houses approximately 53,000 animals. This translates into more than 750 animals per employee. Even more shocking is that Marshall Farms only employs one on-site veterinarian. When a facility is so short-staffed, animal health and husbandry are the first to be compromised. If permitted establishment in Montbeugny, the facility plans to house 2,000 beagles and only plans to hire five people for their care.
Complaints Filed Against Marshall Farms by Animal Care and Protection Groups
Two complaints have been filed with the New York State Education Department’s Office of Professional Discipline. The Association of Veterinarians for Animal Rights (AVAR) and PETA filed these complaints. They were filed because Marshall Farms uses nonveterinarians to perform surgeries on thousands of ferrets each year despite the American Veterinary Medical Association’s (AVMA's) condemnation of such practices.
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