H.R. 263: Big Cat Public Safety Act was passed Congress on December 6, 2022 — next stop — the President.
If enacted, the amendments to the Lacey Act would revise restrictions on the possession and exhibition of big cats,...more
A recently enacted Virginia law amending Va. Code § 3.2-6511.2 imposes strict requirements on commercial dog and cat breeders who sell animals “for experimental purposes,” like research. Senate Bill 87, and its counterpart...more
In a long-awaited decision about whether Happy the Elephant could be designated a person for the purposes of a writ of habeas corpus, the Court of Appeals of the State of New York has spoken. In a word—no. ...more
For those who will be regulated by USDA under the Animal Welfare Act for non-exempt facilities with birds not bred for use in research the time is ripe for you to submit comments to the proposed regulation published on Feb....more
Concerns about the potential for antibiotic resistance started when they were first introduced as life-saving tools in human medicine. Despite such concerns, the importance of these tools for public and animal health have...more
A variant of Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza (HPAI) – one that is not an immediate threat to humans – is on the move in the United States in both wild bird and domestic poultry flocks. USDA has confirmed the isolation of...more
Labeling of meat and poultry products has been the subject of numerous lawsuits, in which labels claiming products are, for example, “natural,” “humanely-raised,” “antibiotic-free,” are alleged to be fraudulent, amongst other...more
Most of you should already be aware of concerns about the spread of foreign animal disease, African Swine Fever (ASF), into the United States. for those who need an update:
ASF has never been identified in the US, but...more
According to the USDA OIG Audit Report 33601-0003-23, previously available online, APHIS Animal Care (AC) had agreed that it would review barrier issues and may require reporting of escapes and attacks. However, Audit Report...more
U.S. Cattlemen’s Association (USCA) submitted a Petition for Rule Making to USDA Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) on Feb. 9, 2018 requesting “that FSIS exclude products not derived directly from animals raised and...more
In June 2021, the USDA Office of Inspector General published its report, Animal Care Program Oversight of Dog Breeders, evaluating Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service’s (“APHIS”) controls to ensure compliance with the...more
Entities responsible for animals covered by the AWA will be required to establish and implement contingency planning for emergency response by USDA, APHIS once a proposed rule is finally adopted (see Docket No....more
The plethora of laws banning or limiting sales of dogs from pet stores to families seeking a dog for long term companionship, purportedly passed to shutter puppy mills, have done nothing to improve the lives of dogs bred and...more
As previously discussed in “Colorado Poised to Eliminate Animal Agriculture” this proposed referendum, while clearly intended to eliminate all animal agriculture and related industries in Colorado, is fraught with...more
For those who do not receive notifications directly from USDA APHIS, please note that the agency has just announced that it has removed its Self-Reporting Incentive Program, included in the Animal Welfare Act Inspection Guide...more
Feral swine, an invasive species, have been a problem for years if not decades, and populations have been reported in at least 35 states with a total population “estimated at over 6 million,” as noted by USDA. At least one...more
While the world is still focused on SARS-CoV-2, the virus causing the COVID-19 pandemic, US animal health officials and poultry producers have been monitoring and taking action to prevent the spread of another highly...more
There have been two of the three scheduled listening sessions offered by APHIS seeking comments on regulations regarding the welfare of birds not bred for use in research. A specific schedule for the promulgation, proposal...more
USDA published proposed Rule 85 FR 18471 on April 2, 2020 that would,
"amend the animal disease regulations to provide for a National List of Reportable Animal Diseases, along with reporting responsibilities for animal...more
8/19/2020
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Animal Health ,
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Department of Agriculture ,
Farm Animals ,
Freedom of Information ,
Livestock Protocol ,
Reporting Requirements ,
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Veterinarians ,
Zoonotic Diseases
Notable regulatory amendments and COVID-19-related inspection guidelines, described below, will impact Animal Welfare Act (AWA) licensees and registrants
New rules, finalized in May, 2020, amended the long-standing...more
Care provided to chimpanzees at Project Chimps, a sanctuary for chimpanzees located in Georgia, has come under fire by “[m]ore than 20 former staffers and volunteers,” as reported by Rachel Fobar in Animal Wildlife Watch on...more
We have heard conflicting reports about the potential spread of COVID-19 to and from people and animals, and between animals. Many government and industry officials have stated that there is no evidence that dogs and cats can...more
Kim Kavin, author of “The Dog Merchants” has started to uncover some of the truths in the world of dog rescues. Not that all rescues are bad, of course, but fact that rescues (and to some extent shelters) have largely...more
An increasing tactic of animal rights organizations (AR) is to mine public records in the hopes of finding ammunition to use against universities, pharmaceutical companies, contract research organizations and associated...more
The Swine Health Protection Act (7 U.S.C. 3801, et seq.), enacted in 1980, regulates food waste fed to swine and helps ensure that it is properly treated to kill disease causing organisms....more