Washington DC (January 4, 2022) – In a huge victory over transparency and accountability, the U.S. Department of Agriculture has agreed to the public disclosure of website filings regarding the treatment of animals in U.S. slaughterhouses to resolve a lawsuit filed by the Animal Welfare Institute (AWI) and Farm Sanctuary. Marian Payson, a federal judge in the United States District Court for the Western District of New York, approved the settlement yesterday.
2018 complaint Alleged that the USDA failed to proactively disclose records related to the enforcement of two laws — the Humane Slaughter Act and the Poultry Inspection Act — as required by the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA). . Such records show the inhumane treatment of animals at slaughter plants around the country, including cases where workers threw chickens and improperly stunned pigs and livestock, and Transporters abandoned trucks full of animals for hours hot weather.
AWI and Farm Sanctuary are represented by Nick Lawton of the public utility company Eubanks & Associates, PLLC of Washington, DC. The settled come after the court refuse USDA’s motion to dismiss the lawsuit in 2019. Under the agreement, USDA is responsible for paying attorneys’ fees to the plaintiffs.
“This is the biggest step in improving government transparency about slaughter since the USDA began disclosing these records under the FOIA,” said Erin Sutherland, attorney for AWI’s ranch program. . “Thousands of slaughterhouse records are now available to concerned citizens and animal advocacy groups who want to monitor USDA enforcement without having to wait months or even years for the department to respond to its request. FOIA.”
“The USDA agreeing to proactively post slaughter records is a huge win,” said Emily von Klemperer, general counsel of Farm Sanctuary. “These records regularly demonstrate the inhumane treatment of animals at slaughter facilities and are important to our efforts to educate the public and hold the responsible agency accountable for their actions. enforce minimum legal protections for farm animals.”
Posted records, dating from January 2017 and currently available on the USDA Food Safety and Inspection Service website, which provides a rare window into a strictly protected aspect of food production. Previously, AWI used this information to do some of its primary campaign work around animal treatment at slaughtersuch as publicizing repeated violations of inhumane handling at individual slaughter plants, and petitioning the USDA to update slaughter regulations to reduce undue suffering. necessary.
In a separate lawsuit, AWI and Farm Sanctuary are to sue USDA aims to address systematic slaughter of poultry that can affect food safety and meat quality in violation of the Poultry Product Inspection Act. Much of the information critical to this lawsuit has been gathered from the records currently accessible under this agreement. A federal judge ruled in October that the case would proceed.
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About Animal Welfare Institute
Animal Welfare Institute (www.awionline.org) is a non-profit charitable organization founded in 1951 and working to reduce the suffering of animals caused by humans. AWI engages policymakers, scientists, industry and the public to achieve better treatment of animals everywhere – in laboratories, farms, commerce , at home and in the wild. Follow us at Facebook, Twitter and Instagram for updates and other important animal protection news.
About Farm Sanctuary
Founded in 1986, Farm Sanctuary fights the damaging effects of animal husbandry on animals, the environment, social justice and public health through rescue, education and advocacy. The organization provides lifelong care to animals rescued from abuse at Sanctuary sites in New York and California; foster a just and compassionate vegan lifestyle; and support legal and policy reforms. To learn more about Farm Sanctuary, visit FarmSanctuary.org.
