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On February 4, 2017, without warning, the U.S. Department of Agriculture ordered its Animal Plant Health Inspection Service to block online access to thousands of records related to Animal Welfare Act-related entities. The blanket bar, effective immediately, includes records of research facilities that experiment on dogs and cats, reports Hillary Hanson of The Huffington Post.
The now-blocked USDA database contains inspection reports, reflecting results of agency and law enforcement investigations of alleged violations of the Animal Welfare Act. These records included inspection reports, annual reports describing laboratory experiments on animals, the number of animals used for research, and related information.
The new USDA ruler bars access to basic statistical information regarding animal use in the United States. The rule also affects other regulated entities, including puppy mills, circuses and zoos. Under the new rule, violators can evade public scrutiny.
The public, advocacy groups and journalists are now barred from accessing USDA data, despite said data having been gathered with public funds, pursuant to Congressional authorization under the Animal Welfare Act.
The information disappeared from the USDA website two days after Rep. Ken Calvert (R-Calif.) introduced a bill to increase transparency surrounding taxpayer-funded animal testing.
Trump transition team USDA point man Brian Klippenstein has a long history of fighting animal welfare regulations. Klippenstein is executive director of Protect the Harvest, a group that has vehemently opposed legislation to fight abusive puppy mills.
Sources:
• Washington Post
• The Huffington Post
• CNN
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