Success: Animal Welfare Violations Must Now Be Reported

Target: Chuck Schumer, Majority Leader of the United States Senate

Goal: Thank Congress for ensuring all animal welfare violations on inspected facilities are reported.

The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) is responsible for conducting routine inspections of certain animal facilities to ensure that standards laid down by the Animal Welfare Act (AWA) are being upheld. However, the USDA has had a “teachable moments” policy, where they long allowed animal welfare inspectors to omit crucial animal welfare violations from public reports. This failure to properly report violations has threatened the safety of animals, while protecting corporations who can be charged with counts of animal cruelty for some of these “minor” violations.

In this previous ForceChange petition, people asked the USDA to immediately report any and all cases of abuse or neglect so that we could better protect our animals. Thanks to the mounting support of animal activists, Congress has recently ordered the USDA to practice more transparency and, now, the USDA must openly report any such violation at affiliated facilities–including agricultural farms, roadside zoos, research labs, and dog breeding centers. The AWA outlines proper and lawful care of animals, and any violations–no matter how big or small they are–are important to report.

Sign this petition to thank Congress for advocating for animal welfare and enforcing animal rights, as established by the AWA.

PETITION LETTER:

Dear Senator Schumer,

We at the ForceChange community would like to thank you for upholding the standards of animal welfare–as outlined in the Animal Welfare Act–and for demanding more transparency from the USDA in their routine inspections of animal facilities. The USDA’s “teachable moments” policy has long safeguarded individuals and corporations who have violated AWA standards–violations which have been legally omitted from public reports.

Your recent ruling that the USDA must openly report any such violation at affiliated facilities–including agricultural farms, roadside zoos, research labs, and dog breeding centers–will help protect thousands of animals across the country. Any breach of the AWA is a breach of animal rights–no matter how big or how small it may seem to the USDA.

Thank you, again, for choosing compassion and for enforcing the animal welfare laws you set in the first place.

Sincerely,

[Your Name Here]

Photo Credit: Tony Webster