How The Trump Administration Is Hurting Puppies (Seriously)
In a surprise move, the USDA took down documents that animal advocates rely on to track animal abusers.
On Friday, the section of United States Department of Agriculture’s website that had been used to provide data detailing animal abuse was taken down without warning.
For 10 years, the USDA has posted information on violators of the Animal Welfare Act and Horse Protection Act. And animal advocates, journalists and everyday citizens have used the data to identify research labs, zoos, and yes, dog breeders that have been violating the law and harming animals.
The agency said that going forward if people want to access the information they will have to file Freedom of Information Act requests. However, this process can take months or even years.
Humane Society initiatives ‘deeply affected’
Mother Jones is reporting that the Humane Society and its work will be impacted saying, “three of its campaigns will be deeply affected by the change.” John Goodwin, the senior director of the organization’s Stop Puppy Mill campaign, uses the reports to create the what they call the Horrible Hundred which is a list of “puppy mills.”
Goodwin says, “Here we have a government action that benefits no one except people who are caught abusing animals and don’t want the public to know.”
Mother Jones also reports that the person on the Trump team who has been in charge of the USDA transition, Brian Klippenstein, has lobbied against the Humane Society and its initiatives. And “before he was appointed to the transition team, Klippenstein was the executive director of Protest the Harvest, a nonprofit that aims to ‘inform America’s consumers, businesses, and decision-makers about the threats posed by animal rights groups and anti-farming extremists.'”
Dogs in at least seven states are at risk
MJ goes on to report that there are seven states that had been using the USDA data to regulate where pet stores source their puppies from. And without these reports, it will be nearly impossible for pet store owners to know whether their puppy suppliers are violating animal treatment laws.
