Transparency policy can expose unethical breeders
By Jillian Blume, Best Friends Network volunteer
Animal welfare advocates around the country shouted a collective “hallelujah!” last month when the unbelievable finally happened: USDA inspection reports were put online for all to see. Instant access.
It should have been the case all along, but previously, the USDA made the process of viewing breeders’ inspection reports so convoluted and time consuming that it was difficult for those in the know to get them, much less a curious potential puppy or kitten purchaser.
Comparing Apples to Puppies
If you’re buying organic foods and want to be certain that you’re getting the real deal, then the USDA seal is a good thing. But if you’re buying a puppy or kitten from a breeder or pet store—maybe not.
For example, any reference to the USDA in regard to a puppy indicates that the dog came from a commercial dog breeder, also known as a puppy mill. Virtually all dogs purchased in pet stores come from these facilities, and they’re all regulated by the USDA. Inspection reports are often the only information the public can get regarding a breeding facility.
Until now, anyone who wanted to read a breeder’s inspection reports had to contact the USDA in writing or fill out a form online and then wait for weeks, or even months, to get the information.
Inspection Reports at the Click of a Button
The good news is that you no longer have to wade through red tape and wait weeks to get the information. In a recent letter to the public, Dr. Chester Gipson, Deputy Administrator for Animal Care, Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service, declared that USDA inspection reports are now online for instant downloading for all commercial breeders, dealers, exhibitors, intermediate handlers and carriers.
Hours of making requests, weeks of waiting for this public information are now a thing of the past. Click here to go to the new USDA website for inspection reports. (See below for information on how to use it.)
“Making their inspection reports available online is something that the USDA should have been doing all along,” says Kelli Ohrtman, Best Friends Animal Society Campaign Specialist.
“In fact, state licensing agencies (where they exist) should do so as well. The information is public record, but when it must be individually requested, it isn’t feasible for a consumer interested in buying a puppy or kitten to quickly check out a breeder. With this faster and easier access to records, the worst pet mills will no longer be able to hide behind a slow and clunky fulfillment of the Freedom of Information Act.”
USDA License Does Not Guarantee Healthy Pets or Ethical Breeders
Let’s be clear: a clean inspection report only means that the breeder is adhering to minimum standards under the Animal Welfare Act (AWA). The AWA’s purpose is “to insure that animals intended for use in research facilities or for exhibition purposes or for use as pets are provided humane care and treatment.”
For example, to pass inspection cages have to be six inches larger than adog on all sides. There’s nothing in the AWA that says a breeder can’t have a thousand dogs—or more (and many do) or that dogs can’t stay in their cages for years at a time, never being let out.
While this new transparency doesn’t solve many of the inherent problems associated with the commercial, mass-breeding of pets, it does make it easier for everyone to keep tabs on what the breeders are doing, and that’s a step in the right direction.
For more information
• To learn how the USDA regulates puppy mills, click here.
• To find out if a breeder is USDA licensed, click here and look under both “Breeders” and “Dealers.” (Note that only USDA-licensed breeders and dealers are listed on the website.)
• After finding if a breeder is USDA licensed, go to the Inspection Reports page and search from there.
Stock photos by Clay Myers, Best Friends Staff
Posted by Cheri Moon, Best Friends Staff