USDA Settles With Animal Watchdog Groups, Ensuring Stricter Enforcement Against Puppy Mills & Research Labs In The United States
From WAN World Animal News, March 22, 2021
Exposing hidden regulations, plugging loopholes that hurt animals, and
increasing transparency of facilities in violation of federal laws were all
part of a landmark settlement with federal regulators by national watchdog
groups that monitor research laboratories and puppy mills, according to
Advancing Law for Animals.
Plaintiffs Stop Animal Exploitation Now and Missouri Alliance in Animal
Legislation sued the U.S. Department of Agriculture in July of 2019,
alleging that the federal agency illegally-issued two regulations that
allowed animal abuse industries to violate the Animal Welfare Act with
impunity—even if animals were injured or died.
According to the lawsuit, these illegal regulations weakened the Animal
Welfare Act, decreased citations, and hid important information from the
public and other stakeholders.
The Animal Welfare Act governs businesses like puppy mills, laboratories,
and zoos. When the law functions properly, facilities should receive
citations for noncompliance. But, under what Plaintiffs called the
‘Self-Reporting Rule,’ cruelty-prone industries were shielded from citation
by simply reporting their own welfare violations.
The Plaintiffs also raised issues with what they referred to as ‘Teachable
Moments Rule,’ some violations no longer qualified for a citation at all.
“Our lawsuit alleged that these rules were illegal and gave animal abusers a
free pass,” Vanessa Shakib, Co-Founder and Co-Director of Advancing Law for
Animals, said in a statement sent to WAN. “We are pleased this settlement
holds the federal government and industry accountable.”
While the USDA denies any wrongdoing, the settlement achieves several goals
that many animal advocates have long sought after, including eliminating the
‘Self-Reporting Rule’ altogether.
It also corrects the ‘Teachable Moments Rule’ by ensuring violators are
cited, rather than given a ‘teachable moment,’ when their noncompliance
“adversely impacts the health or well-being of an animal.” Examples of this
includes lack of adequate water, food, ventilation, or anything causing pain
or distress to an animal.
The settlement also upholds the public’s ‘right to know’ by requiring the
USDA’s website to list all Animal Welfare Act violations together, in one
place. Updated USDA inspector training and attorneys’ fees and costs are
also included.
“This settlement agreement is already having a serious impact in terms of
enforcement actions against laboratories,” noted Michael A. Budkie, A.H.T.,
Co-Founder of Stop Animal Exploitation Now. “Forty percent of the serious
citations against laboratories for all of 2020 occurred in the month of
September, following the arrival at a tentative settlement.”
“This is a momentous victory for the animals who have suffered at the hands
of their abusers with the full knowledge and complicity of the U.S.
Department of Agriculture, the very agency charged with their protection,”
stated Bob Baker, Executive Director of Missouri Alliance in Animal
Legislation.
While these are steps in the right direction, puppy mills and animal
research laboratories should cease to exist, period.