After USDA removed investigation files from its website on some 9,000 animal facilities, including circuses, dog breeding operations and scientific labs, animal rights activists are crying foul, says the Humane Society of the United States. The society notified USDA that it would re-open a similar public access lawsuit it filed and won in 2005 if the agency doesn’t immediately bring the documents back online. According to that 2005 order, both parties must consult within 30 days in the case of a violation.
“The agency’s precipitous decision to purge virtually all AWA (Animal Welfare Act ) and HPA (Horse Protection Act) enforcement documentation — just two weeks after President Trump assumed office — violates the plain terms of the settlement and a federal court order. It also runs contrary to Congressional provisions in 1996 and 2016 designed to increase transparency and electronic access to information,” the society said in a statement.
The USDA’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service claims it removed the information due to court rulings and privacy concerns, after a year-long review process. The documents are now available only by formal requests through the Freedom of Information Act, which can take more than a year to complete, says the Washington Post.