Why won't USDA enforce the Animal Welfare Act?
As the national media has reported in recent weeks, since President Trump took office the number of animal welfare citations issued by the USDA has plummeted. These include “critical” or “direct” citations that historically triggered fines or other enforcement actions. Even in the most dire situations, the USDA has stopped initiating seizures to rescue dying animals, leaving it to local law enforcement.
Nationwide, actual enforcement of a 53-year-old law has been replaced with “courtesy visits,” “teachable moments,”. Moreover, the USDA gutted a policy that required licensed operations to comply with American Veterinary Medical Association euthanasia guidelines (which presumably would allow animals to be killed by other means, inclsugin blunt force trauma or gunshot), and no longer mandates that veterinary care plans be signed by an actual veterinarian.
According to a recent analysis of federal data by the Animal Welfare Institute, the USDA issued nearly 5,000 citations, based on 8,869 inspections, in 2016. Two years later, the number of citations plunged to fewer than 1,800 from 8,354 inspections. After scrubbing all animal welfare records from its website two years , the USDA “ ” access with heavy redactions and a crippled, ineffective search engine. No more documenting noncompliance in inspection reports, no more solid enforcement, and no bold actions to rescue animals who are suffering.
https://thehill.com/opinion/energy-environment/462348-why-wont-usda-enforce-the-animal-welfare-act
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