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| In 2007, more than 70,000 dogs were used for biomedical research, testing, and teaching in the U.S. ©iStock.com |
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Better late than never. That's what animal welfare advocates are saying following the U.S. Department of Agriculture's decision to begin re-issuing comprehensive annual reports on enforcement of the Animal Welfare Act.
Comprehensive reports provide a more detailed picture of the number of animals actually used in research.
The USDA switched to publishing stripped-down reports after passage of a law that took effect in May 2000 and eliminated certain reporting requirements.
Published on October 23, The Animal Care Annual Report of Activities—Fiscal Year 2007, is the first of the comprehensive reports to be released since 2001.
The action follows six years of efforts by The Humane Society of the U.S., aided by Reps. Steve Israel (D-NY) and Mark Kirk (R-IL), to compel the agency to resume publishing the expanded reports.
By the Numbers
The report shows a significant increase in the numbers of some animals used in research in the U.S:
- The number of primates used for research in 2007 (69,990) represents an 11 percent increase from 2006 and a 29 percent increase from 2001
- The number of dogs used for research increased 8 percent from 2006 to 2007, to 72,037 individuals
- The number of animals used in research that caused unrelieved pain and/or distress to the animals increased 5 percent from 2006 to 2007, to 77,766 animals
According to the annual report for fiscal year 2007, more than one million animals subject to regulation under the AWA were used in research in 2007. But, this figure excludes laboratory-bred mice, rats and birds, the most commonly used animals in research. Because they are not protected by the AWA, these species are not counted. The HSUS estimates that the total number of vertebrate animals used in research in the U.S. each year could be more than 25 million.
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The number of primates used for research in the U.S. increased approximately 30% from 2001 to 2008. ©iStock.com |
"The report provides disturbing evidence of an increase in the use of dogs, primates, and other animals for research since 2006 and in recent years, in general," says Kathleen Conlee, director of program management for animal research issues for The HSUS. "In 2008, we hope to see a decline in their use and an increase in more innovative science that doesn't use animals—because the public is demanding it."
Prompting Action
The HSUS began requesting that the USDA start republishing the comprehensive reports back in 2002, but the USDA took no action. Then, in 2007, Reps. Israel and Kirk introduced the Animal Welfare Accountability Improvement Act (H.R. 2193).
The bill was designed to amend the Animal Welfare Act and included a provision that required the USDA to publish an expanded report each year. Language regarding this provision then became part of the House's proposed version of the Farm Bill. While the language wasn't included in the final version of the Farm Bill, passed in May 2008, the USDA made it clear to legislators that they intended to publish comprehensive annual reports voluntarily, thereby eliminating the need for inclusion of the legislative language.
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Overseeing Animals
The USDA is the government agency responsible for establishing and enforcing the Animal Welfare Act (AWA), which spells out the minimum standards of care and treatment required for certain animals used in research, bred for commercial sale, transported commercially, or exhibited to the public.
The agency's annual report is the primary means of holding the Animal Care division of the USDA accountable when it comes to enforcement of the AWA. In regards to animal research, the comprehensive reports include information about:
- Frequency and type of inspections of research institutions and animal dealer facilities performed each year
- Inspection and enforcement highlights (for example, the most common AWA violations)
- Policy updates, including current revisions to the AWA, regulations and standards (for example, the increased penalties for violations of the AWA as per the Farm Bill of 2008)
- Animal research statistics that include the number of animals of each species used in experiments and whether they were used in experiments that involved unrelieved pain and/or distress
- Information about animal care activities other than enforcement that are carried out by the USDA (for example, disaster relief planning)
"The public has a major interest in the Animal Welfare Act and the animals that the law seeks to protect," says The HSUS's Conlee. "We are delighted that the USDA's enforcement activities are becoming more transparent."
