USDA reposts some animal welfare records after outcry

BY Lydia Wheeler, The Hill, Feb. 17, 2017

The Department of Agriculture on Friday reposted some of the animal welfare records it had removed from its website, after outcry from animal rights groups when the material was taken down.

The documents that were removed earlier this month included records of animal welfare violations at zoos, commercial breeders and research labs.

USDA claimed it removed the records as part of a comprehensive review to balance the need for transparency with rules that protect individual privacy.

In a statement Friday, the agency said it reposted the first batch of annual reports of research institutions and inspection reports for certain federal research facilities.

Read more here.