On Friday, the Trump administration ordered the U.S. Department of Agriculture to eliminate inspection reports and other relevant advice concerning the welfare and treatment of tens of thousands of animals out of the website, The Washington Post reports.
The USDA’s Animal and Plant Health inspection Service released a announcement claiming the decision came following a “comprehensive inspection”. According to the announcement posted to their website, “As a consequence of the detailed inspection, APHIS has implemented activities to get rid of certain personal data from files it places on APHIS’ website between the Horse Protection Act and the Animal Welfare Act. Moving APHIS will eliminate from its website review reports, including correspondence that is regulatory, research center reports. APHIS may also examine and redact, as required, the records of licensees and registrants under the AWA, in addition to lists of designated qualified persons (DQPs) licensed by USDA-certified horse business organizations. ”
Fundamentally violations contrary to the Animal Welfare Act and the Horse Protection Act will simply become available after filing a Freedom of Information Act Request (FOIA) — which may take several years to get accepted. The announcement goes on to explain:
‘Individuals seeking advice from APHIS regarding review reports, regulatory correspondencelaw authorities records must submit Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) requests for this information. Records will be released in a fashion consistent with the FOIA and Privacy Act and when authorized. ’
The documents made accessible by the USDA were accessed by animal rights activists in their efforts to monitor animal welfare at zoos, circuses, and labs. Individuals appearing to adopt pets could utilize the website’s database to locate information about dog breeders. Seven states need pet stores to supply puppies via breeders with fresh USDA review reports, however with the elimination of the records, where the puppies come from will likely no more be traceable.
Since the information surfaced Friday evening, animal welfare organizations have spoken out into condemn the USDA’s elimination of the data, as many think it will only allow animal abuses to be swept under the rug.
Mature manager of the Humane Society’s Stop Puppy Mills Campaign, John Goodwin, told The Washington Post:
‘The USDA action allows abusers of Tennessee walking horses, zoo animals and lab animals to hide the worst track records from animal welfare and cloaks even the puppy mills at secrecy. ’
It’s unclear at this point whether or not the info is a shift.
The senior vice president of People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA), Kathy Guillermo, stated it’s “a grim effort to keep the public from knowing when and that regulations and laws are violated. Many federally enrolled and centers have long histories of violations that have resulted in horrible suffering. ”
Several have referenced the resource’s usefulness, saying it allowed organizations to track animal welfare in labs that lack transparency.
The article Trump Administration Strips Animal Rights Safeguards, Pets Now At Risk appeared first on Humans Loving Animals .
source http://www.thedogcouch.com/trump-administration-strips-animal-rights-safeguards-celebrities-now-at-risk/
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