USDA Starts To Repost Censored Online Animal Research Documents

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A scientist checks the condition of a monkey in research to study immunity to the Zika virus.

Scott Olson / Getty Images

Facing a barrage of public criticism, the US Department of Agriculture on Friday started returning documents describing the number of animals used at research facilities across the nation back online.

The agency also posted a limited number of reports describing inspections of facilities for compliance with the 1966 Animal Welfare Act — but only for federal research facilities, including the department’s own research centers, and labs at Veterans Health Administration hospitals.

The vast majority of research facility inspection reports removed earlier this month still remain offline. So do inspection reports for animal breeders and facilities regulated under the Horse Protection Act.

Also still missing is the database that once let animal welfare groups, researchers, and journalists download bulk data on animal research across the US to get a detailed picture of trends in animal research across the nation.

“The reports posted are part of a comprehensive review of the documents the Agency removed from its website in early February and are in the same redacted form as before,” said a statement emailed to users of the database on Friday morning.

“We will continue posting documents over the next few weeks,” USDA spokeswoman Tanya Espinosa told BuzzFeed News by email. However, she declined to comment on whether the full database would be returned to service.

The USDA provoked a storm of protest on Feb. 3, when it abruptly removed the database and documents from the web. It suggested the move was taken to protect “personal information.” However, later reports linked the decision to a legal battle involving the USDA’s regulation of the Tennessee Walking Horse industry. To get their horses to walk with the desired high-stepping gait, trainers may apply caustic chemicals to the animals’ legs.

The animal welfare reports put back online cover the fiscal years 2013 to 2015. Research facilities should by now have sent in their 2016 reports on animal use, including the numbers of animals used in experiments involving unalleviated pain or distress. These have not been posted online.

The USDA’s move to start reposting animal welfare documents online comes just days after it was sued by advocacy groups, including the People for The Ethical Treatment of Animals, demanding that the information be returned to public view.

“The agency has a duty under the law to restore all of the deleted records, and to continue posting new records going forward,” PETA said in a statement issued today. “PETA and its co-plaintiffs will continue to fight until it complies with this duty.

LINK: It Just Got Much Harder To Know What’s Going On In US Animal Research Labs

LINK: The Silent Monkey Victims Of The War On Terror

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