|
SUGGESTED COMMENTS:
* I do not support the USDA's proposed changes to its system of record-keeping under the Privacy Act, which would conceal Animal Welfare Act (AWA) and Horse Protection Act (HPA) records from the public.
* The USDA should fully reinstate its public, searchable database for all AWA and HPA inspection reports and enforcement records, including inventories, warning letters, administrative complaints, stipulations, settlement agreements, and court orders, consistent with the USDA's practice of many years before 2017.
* The personal privacy concerns cited by USDA to justify removing records from their public site are invalid. Industries regulated by the USDA are not private individuals. They are commercial entities that sell or use animals.
* Transparency enables accountability. Public access to this information helps ensure that the agency is appropriately enforcing laws intended to protect both animals and the public.
* Consumers have the right to know if a business they patronize is breaking the law, or if there is any concern for public health or safety. Access to animal welfare records allows me to check if my local zoo, or a circus performing in town, is not complying with basic welfare rules or is exhibiting animals that could potentially spread disease.
* Instead of moving to protect licensed entities from public scrutiny for potentially unlawful acts, the USDA should focus on ensuring that citizens know how government-regulated facilities treat their animals.
|
