A taxpayer-funded contract worth nearly £700,000 has been handed to a firm just months after it was accused of torturing and killing dogs.
Thousands of beagles bred at an American facility run by Envigo RMS had to be rehomed after shocking cruelty was exposed there.
Inspectors found dogs were needlessly being killed with painful injections into the heart instead of receiving basic veterinary care for conditions that could be easily treated.
Dozens of puppies died after being left in the cold.
UK Research and Innovation, which is a government body, has now awarded a Envigo contract for work in Britain. It will provide ‘nutritional diet supplies’ for animals undergoing experimentation.
An initial deal worth £690,077 has been signed, but it may be extended up to a decade due to the "exceptional circumstances regarding the nature of this procurement and the criticality of feed supply continuity during extended research studies".
The US investigation into Envigo found mothers were unable to nurse their puppies properly due to being starved, while other dogs were given food mixed with maggots, mould and faeces.
The Department of Agriculture observed animals whose paws and legs were trapped in the cracked and damaged flooring of their pens.
Its inspectors warned that dogs were being killed in “pain” as they were being put down with lethal injections without receiving anaesthesia beforehand.
In May this year, the US government filed a lawsuit against Envigo RMS, alleging the company was failing to provide humane care and treatment to the thousands of beagles.
The Justice Department secured a court order in July forcing the facility in Virginia to be permanently closed and the dogs to be handed over to an animal welfare charity.
Nearly 4,000 beagles have been put up for adoption in what is thought to be one of the biggest ever dog rescue efforts in the US.
The dogs were being bred to be sold on to laboratories for drug experiments.
The Duke and Duchess of Sussex were among the families who adopted one of the beleaguered animals. Harry and Meghan took in a seven-year-old beagle named Mamma Mia.
PETA (People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals) said it was "totally outrageous" for the government to "line the pockets of this disgraced company with taxpayers' money".
Dr Julia Baines, the group's science policy manager, said: "PETA urges the government immediately to reconsider doing business with this atrocious company."
"Envigo’s enormous beagle-breeding factory in the US shut down and all 4,000 dogs were released for adoption after a PETA undercover investigation revealed severe cruelty on a massive scale," she added
A UKRI spokesman said: “UKRI and the Medical Research Council (MRC) are committed to ensuring the highest standards of animal welfare in all of the research we fund.
“This includes research which directly informs best practice regarding laboratory-housed animals in the UK and internationally.
“Full information about our policies and guidance on the use of animals in research can be found on our website.”
An Envigo RMS spokesman said: "Envigo supplies high-quality, specially formulated rodent diets to numerous research institutes. Our diets have been developed over decades to provide optimal nutrition which ensures the highest health and welfare of laboratory animals.
"These diets will be used in support of research conducted to understand and treat many human diseases, such as Type 2 diabetes, neurodegeneration and hearing loss. The research conducted at UK Research and Innovation is done so to the highest standards of animal welfare.
"We are proud that our specially formulated rodent diets will contribute to advances that are critical to improving human lives."
