Humane Society Threatens Legal Action Over Scrubbed Animal Facility Records

[DonViejo]

Source: Talking Points Memo



By MATT SHUHAM Published FEBRUARY 6, 2017, 6:26 PM EDT

The Humane Society of the United States announced Monday that it could pursue legal action against the United States Department of Agriculture for its removal of inspection reports for thousands of animal facilities across the country, including zoos, labs and breeders.

The database of reports, which the USDA’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) keeps in compliance with the Animal Welfare Act and the Horse Protection Act, was removed from the USDA’s website late last week, following what the APHIS said in a statement Friday was “a comprehensive review of the information it posts on its website for the general public to view.”

APHIS said the information, including reports valuable to activists and journalists on which facilities and individuals had been charged with infractions, would still be available to those who filed Freedom of Information Act requests. If the same records are frequently requested, the statement noted, APHIS would post "appropriately redacted" versions of them online.

The Humane Society said this new arrangement violated a http://blog.humanesociety.org/wayne/2017/02/hsus-challenges-usda-mass-removal-animal-welfare-records.html?credit=blog_post_020617_idhome-page" target="_blank">2009 settlement it reached with the USDA concerning access to information collected under the Animal Welfare Act.

Read more: http://talkingpointsmemo.com/livewire/humane-society-threatens-legal-action-over-animal-facilities-data

[benld74]

1. ALL the time, man hours, IT work

That went into fulfilling Obamas transparency of govt initiatives, which assisted many facets of the public, gone.
Under the whimsy of an idiot!
😡😡😡😡😡😡😡😡😡😡

[50 Shades Of Blue]

2. DO IT!!!!!!!!!!!!

[Hortensis]

3. More blackout of information from the citizenry.

My conservative neighbors all see this stuff as victory against Democrats and our supposedly insane regulatory stranglehold that threatens to destroy our country. They don't know it's about depowering and solidifying control by the few over the rest of us.

[starshine00]

4. I am so glad to hear this

this scrubbing shows clearly just who these people are, utilitarians, every human or animal or environmental subject should be utilized for its base value to the protagonist wealth empowered human...no decent education, no animal welfare, no reproductive freedom because we are labor units or sexual utility units (prostitutes) or war units (soldiers) or food /torture/ dry goods units (animals), there is no value placed on the soul or consciousness of the being because the protagonist wealthy deranged human in control has no soul or consciousness themselves left except narcissism.

[iluvtennis]

5. Absolutely. And why abolish animal rights - no reason too other than Trumps's cruelty. nt

[bdamomma]

6. Enough is Enough

you don't pick on defenseless animals.

I just donated also.

[Bayard]

7. We are entitled to these reports

Its completely unacceptable for them to be trashed. So much blood, sweat, and tears have gone into reporting abuse in all of these areas, both pets and livestock. Its the only reason these industries have cleaned up their acts. Even if you are not into pets, I'm sure you want safe food. Redacted reports? Nope. Not acceptable.

[Equinox Moon]

8. YES!!!

It was a HORRIBLE action taken to scrub those records. Major lawsuit! We do have animal welfare laws.

[Rhiannon12866]

9. Forced to spend needed funds on lawsuits rather than on helping animals

BTW, I'm a monthly donor.

[flvegan]

10. Thank you, HSUS.