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Animal rights group says NDSU fine too small By DAVE KOLPACK Associated Press Writer FARGO, N.D. An animal rights activist says a fine of more than $12,000 against
North Dakota State University for research violations was not enough.
School officials say they've corrected the problems. Officials with the USDA's Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service
said the school recently paid the fine for 27 violations that were
discovered in 2006, including a case when two sheep were found "dying
and suffering." Michael Budkie, executive director of Stop Animal Exploitation Now,
an Ohio-based animal rights organization, wrote a letter to NDSU
President Joseph Chapman Tuesday criticizing the school and demanding
changes. "Many of these violations were repeat violations, clearly
illustrating an ongoing situation of incompetence and negligence,"
Budkie wrote. Phil Boudjouk, an NDSU vice president, said the school took the USDA
report seriously and made changes to improve the care of animals. "We certainly feel that any violations we have are cause of
significant dissatisfaction on our part," Boudjouk said. "In no way
would I try to dismiss or minimize the violations ... we dealt with them
forthrightly." The USDA levied the fine in October, after results from a routine
inspection in 2006. The school was cited for 27 violations and ordered
to pay $12,218. NDSU faced a maximum penalty of $5,000 per violation, said Karen
Eggert, spokeswoman for the Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service.
"We've done (follow-up) inspections and have not found any further
violations," Eggert said. "The issue has been resolved." NDSU spent $59,578 to correct problems in the USDA report and
committed a minimum of $137,000 a year for veterinary staff, Boudjouk
said. "To be honest, our staffing had lagged behind our growth in animal
research," Boudjouk said. The USDA report also criticized the school's animal care committee
for the way it handled internal inspections. The school labeled as
"minor" an incident where "two sheep were found dying and suffering,
unnoticed by personnel, no care was being reported," the USDA said. That case "should have been documented as a 'significant
deficiency,'" the federal document said. "Calling those 'minor deficiencies' is insane," Budkie said in an
interview. "That should be reserved for something like peeling paint."
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