At least one animal advocacy group has made it clear that it will fight the U.S. Department of Agriculture over the deletion of years of animal welfare data from the USDA’s public website. Previously, those records were accessible via a public database on the USDA Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service website. In a notice sent to the USDA on Monday, the HSUS argues that the department violated their terms of the settlement in deleting their animal welfare records. The public records were a useful tool not only for animal advocacy groups, but also for journalists covering animal welfare issues and even pet store owners looking to check the records of commercial breeders. Many facilities that undergo USDA inspection themselves are also unhappy about the decision.

Source: Huffington Post February 07, 2017 16:18 UTC