Photos by: jaredvork / flickr
The USDA has unexpectedly removed inspection reports and other information previously available to the general public, prompting talk that President Trump’s nominee picks for USDA may not have the best interest of animals at heart.
The USDA surprised animal welfare groups recently by removing information about animal handling in research laboratories, kennels and other facilities and zoos from its databases. Citing privacy laws and court rulings for the decision, the department now says all information, which also includes records of enforcement actions against violators of the Animal Welfare Act and the Equine Protection Act, will remain available, but only accessible under Freedom of Information Act requests. These requests are known to take years to be approved, so the administration has, in essence, buried years and years of pivotal animal protection documentation in red tape.
The US Department of Agriculture on Friday abruptly removed inspection reports and other information from its website about the treatment of animals at thousands of research laboratories, zoos, kennel operations and other facilities.
Related: HSUS Releases Stunning Hundreds of 2016 Puppy Mills List
The records not only contained information that was used to monitor animal treatment across the country, but also to expose abuses, and to investigate dog breeders and pet stores. Seven states currently require pet stores to sell only puppies that come from breeders who have been cleared by USDA inspection reports, but without access to that information, following the law will be more difficult.
Animal welfare groups are outraged, fearing that this action will allow the hideouts of abusive zoos and laboratories, and now that animal abuse will go unchecked. And so, when the information seems imperative to the health and welfare of the animals, the department’s motives are now called into question.
Not surprisingly, President Trump’s nominee’s choices of people to lead the Department of Agriculture are at the forefront of intentions. In December of 2016, Trump’s pick was Brian Kleinstein — who has a reputation for being an advocate of puppy mills and refers to the abuse of circus animals as a “tradition,” which he sees nothing wrong with.
Trump followed up with the possibility of Kleinenstein with US Sen. Heidi Heitkamp, a more moderate possibility, but the possibility that she may also have dropped out of running for office in mid-January 2017.
Related: HSUS Releases Stunning Hundreds of 2016 Puppy Mills List
Currently, former Georgia governor Sonny Perdue is considered as a presidential candidate for the position. Perdue has no relation ship to Perdue Chicken, and we’re cautiously optimistic when he worked as a veterinarian for many years before he came along as a small business owner and then moved onto the political scene. Perdue, president and CEO of the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, has publicly commended Perdue’s commitment to animal welfare at the Governor of Georgia. Perdue worked to get dogs to fight a felony, and gas chambers outlawed the use of animal shelters, but control groups still waited to weigh in on his appointment. The puppy mill project has gone so far as to claim Perdue views dogs as cattle, although we can find no evidence to support this as he believes, and in fact, we have to admit contradicts his behavior as a conservative where he visits spay and neuter clinics to volunteer in a veterinary capacity.
The correlation between the USDA presidential candidates and the clearance and transfer of records remains unclear. Since Perdue has not yet been appointed, it is doubtful he is leading the move, although steps have been taken to make animal protection difficult for us and is worth watching closely.
