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 and published in Tech Note titled, “Incentives for Identifying, Reporting, Correcting, and Preventing Noncompliance with the Animal Welfare Act.”

The reason provided for this changes is that the guidance and program “is no longer representative of the current agency policy for documenting Animal Welfare Act non-compliances.”

The agency has come under scrutiny for the implementation of this policy which was implemented without promulgation of a proposed regulation pursuant to the Administrative Procedures Act.  It is unclear whether such scrutiny resulted in or contributed to this action.

The agency continues to offer assistance to licensees and registrants via its inspectors if a potential noncompliance issue is identified.

This change does not impact biomedical research facilities’ requirements to report to the Office of Laboratory Animal Welfare (OLAW) which enforces laws pursuant to the Public Health Service (PHS) Policy on Humane Care and Use of Laboratory Animal for the National Institutes of Health.

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