EVERETT — An animal testing lab in south Everett was fined $5,000 late last month for allegedly violating the federal Animal Welfare Act multiple times over the past two years.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture issued the penalty for five alleged violations between July 2021 and November 2023 at the Altasciences test facility near Paine Field.

The Canadian firm operates the animal research facility at 6605 Merrill Creek Parkway, which it purchased in 2018.

The alleged violations relate to inadequate veterinary care, unqualified staff and improper animal handling, according to a USDA settlement agreement issued Jan. 29.

In all, four animals died, according to Stop Animal Exploitation Now!, an Ohio-based animal welfare group that has filed multiple federal complaints against Altasciences.

The group’s executive director, Michael Budkie, called the $5,000 penalty “meaningless.”

“Federal regulations allow for penalties up to $12,722 per infraction/per animal,” Budkie said in a statement Tuesday.

For five violations, “USDA officials could have slapped Altasciences with a fine well over $100,000,” he said.

Reached by phone Tuesday, Altasciences declined to comment. On its website, the company states: “We maintain an unwavering focus on the welfare of the laboratory animals in our care. Our entire preclinical staff is trained in laboratory animal care and focused on animal welfare and environmental enrichment — embracing compassion, sensitivity and adherence to regulatory guidelines.”

The contract animal testing facility provides early-stage research and other services to support the development of new drugs and treatments for humans. Clients include drug development firms as well as biopharmaceutical and medical device companies.

Regulators cited Altasciences for alleged violations on three separate occasions.

On July 14, 2021 …

• The facility failed to properly train and instruct staff on proper pre and post-procedural care. Due to a technician error, four female macaques were given improper test doses and had to be euthanized.

• The facility failed to handle animals in a manner that does not cause trauma, physical harm or other stresses. During a test, a male macaque was mishandled and suffered a fractured arm, the settlement said.

• Altasciences failed to provide a structurally sound enclosure to protect animals from injury. The flooring in eight pig enclosures, housing eight adult domestic pigs, was determined to be unsafe.

On Nov. 16, 2021 …

• The facility failed to provide adequate veterinary care to the animals in its care. The ribs, vertebrae and pelvic bones of a 7-month-old beagle were protruding, and the dog’s enclosure was not properly cleaned. Based on the dog’s weekly weigh-ins, there was a consistent decline in weight. Two adult Yorkshire pigs were also observed with overgrown hooves due to a lack of trimming.

On May 16, 2023 …

• The facility failed to handle animals in a manner that does not cause trauma, physical harm or unnecessary discomfort. A worker was tossing a sedated long-tailed macaque into the air and catching him. In the final toss, the worker failed to catch the small monkey — about the size of a cat — and it crashed to the floor. The force of the impact caused bruising around his face and chin, according to a USDA inspection.

The facility’s previous owner, Shin Nippon, was fined $185,00 in 2016 over a federal complaint that 38 monkeys died in the company’s care over a five-year period. Shin Nippon reached a settlement with the U.S. Department of Agriculture that same year.

Animal welfare groups, including People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals and SAEN, have urged the animal research facility to modernize its laboratories and use non-animal research methods.

Janice Podsada: 425-339-3097; jpodsada@heraldnet.com; Twitter: @JanicePods.