The blackout left animal welfare groups and the public in the dark on important animal welfare information that reveals what really goes on behind the scenes at the thousands of entities regulated by the USDA.
HSUS: ‘The House appropriations committee has just issued a clear directive to the U.S. Department of Agriculture to reinstate full public access to animal welfare inspection reports and other records that show how businesses like roadside zoos and puppy mills, and research facilities that do invasive research, are treating the animals in their care. It also directs the agency to restore access to enforcement records of horse shows in which Tennessee walking horses and related breeds compete. The directive, part of the FY 2020 agriculture spending bill approved today by the committee, comes on the heels of a federal court ruling last night that also ordered the USDA to release information regarding violations of the Animal Welfare Act at licensed facilities…
The blackout left animal welfare groups and the public in the dark on important animal welfare information that reveals what really goes on behind the scenes at the thousands of entities regulated by the USDA. The records also give critical insight into how—and if—the agency is properly implementing the Animal Welfare Act, the law that regulates the treatment of animals used by thousands of businesses and facilities, and the Horse Protection Act, the law that prohibits the cruel practice of “soring” in the Tennessee Walking Horse industry… With both members of Congress and the federal judiciary weighing in on the issue, the USDA has no excuse to continue hiding this important information from the public. We urge the agency to immediately restore its online searchable Animal Welfare Act and Horse Protection Act records’. SOURCE…
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