Will Birgit Girshick Lead CRL Past Canine Testing Or Inherit Its Liabilities

Dear Ms. Girshick and Members of the Board,
Charles River Laboratories has a new CEO. Birgit Girshick took the helm this year after more than three decades at the company — and she now inherits a decision her predecessor spent years sidestepping: the future of the canine toxicity testing operation at 55 Union Street in Worcester, Massachusetts and the widespread use of dogs (7,385 on the 2025 USDA company wide report) for experiments in many of your United States facilities.
This isn't an issue that is going away. It's drawing sustained attention from regulators, lawmakers, investors, and perhaps most importantly the public all at once, and none of that pressure is letting up. Massachusetts is actively strengthening its animal research laws, and the facility's supply chain has come under fresh scrutiny. This isn't fading — it's compounding, right as new leadership has a real chance to change course.
Here's what we want the Board to see clearly: the calculation around canine testing is shifting fast, not just morally but financially. What counted as a stable, unremarkable business a few years ago now carries real regulatory exposure and reputational cost, and that cost is only growing. Meanwhile, the science, the funding, and the regulatory pathways are all moving the same direction: away from animal models and toward New Approach Methodologies. This isn't a fringe bet — it's where biomedical research is heading.
That shift is an opportunity. Charles River is already mid-divestiture, refocusing on its core strengths. Ending canine testing in Worcester and Shrewsbury and redirecting that investment into NAMs R&D would let the company lead this transition instead of being caught flat-footed by it. Worcester already has what it takes — UMass Chan, WPI, and a growing biotech corridor — to become a genuine hub for next-generation, non-animal safety testing. A short-term disruption could reposition the site as a magnet for investment, rather than a liability the company quietly manages for years.
Ms. Girshick has a chance to define her legacy at the very start of her tenure. We're urging every director to ask honestly: is defending this facility and the testing of beagles still worth what it's costing the company? The window to get ahead of this is open right now. It won't stay open forever.
We're calling on Charles River's new leadership to choose to lead — and the clearest place to start is simple: stop the canine testing at 55 Union Street, and let those beagles go.