Date
September 15, 2000
Contact
Marshall Smith
IDA
573-636-9291
In Defense of Animals
131 Camino Alto
Mill Valley
CA 94941
IDA is an international, California-based animal advocacy organization dedicated to ending the abuse and exploitation of animals by defending their rights, welfare and habitats.
Actors and Others for Animals is a Southern California organization largely dedicated to the reduction of pet overpopulation.
Senator Glosses Over USDA's Lax Enforcement Methods; IDA's Director of Investigations Blasts Senator's Response to Inquiry into Agency's Policies
Jefferson City, MO — In Defense of Animals’ (IDA) Director of Investigations, Marshall Smith, has publicly blasted Senator Richard G. Lugar’s response to a constituent’s inquiry into the United States Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) inspection and enforcement procedures. In a letter to the constituent the Indiana Republican -- who acts as Chairman of the United States Senate Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry -- attributed shortcomings with the USDA’s oversight of the Animal Welfare Act (AWA) to funding shortfalls and an insufficient number of inspectors. The inquiry to Senator Lugar was apparently prompted by Dateline NBC’s puppy mill expose that aired this past spring.
"The USDA’s lax inspection and enforcement is, at best, grossly negligent. In light of this record, congressional hearings into the agency’s procedures and policies are desperately warranted," charged Smith, a former Senior Investigator with USDA’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS).
"USDA inspections and enforcement policies are oblivious to the health and well-being of animals who are supposed to be protected under federal law," Smith continued. "Instead, the policies clearly favor the economic vitality of commercial pet producers.
"USDA officials have adopted an innovative approach to penalties that allow licensees to apply substantial portions of penalty judgements back into facility improvements," Smith said. "While this approach may provide some short-term relief for animals housed in these facilities, the long-term prognosis for the animals remains bleak."
Smith went on to say that licensees who have consistently failed to meet USDA’s minimum standards of care should have their operating privileges permanently revoked
In light of USDA’s abysmal record, IDA has recently announced a national boycott of Petland Incorporated and other pet stores that sell puppies and kittens. The boycott was begun to point out that consumers who buy animals from pet stores rather than adopting or rescuing them from shelters or rescue organizations contribute to the suffering and misery that breeding animals must endure, solely for greed. Treated as commodities, breeding animals are forced to crank out litter after litter their entire lives. When their reproductive capabilities are exhausted they are killed or sold for research purposes. IDA is encouraging pet stores to use existing space to showcase healthy animals that would otherwise perish in a pound or shelter for lack of a home. To help break the tide of suffering and death consumers are urged to purchase supplies from stores that don’t support this deplorable industry.