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Stop Animal Exploitation NOW!
S. A. E. N.
"Exposing the truth to wipe out animal experimentation"

Articles and Reports

Breaking the Law II, Animal Care in U.S. Labs: Government Sanctioned Negligence
By Michael A. Budkie, A.H.T., Executive Director, SAEN

Actions and Recommendations

SAEN will take several actions as a result of the information in this report:

1. The USDA will be contacted and immediate enforcement actions will be requested against Harvard (both labs), Boehringer Ingelheim, Covance (both labs), the University of Wisconsin, Vanderbilt, Emory, the Southern Research Institute, and other labs.

2. The Office of the Inspector General will be contacted to request a follow-up investigation of the Eastern Regional Office of the USDA and the non-enforcement of the AWA by this entity.

3. The FDA will be contacted regarding potentially compromised drug tests at Charles River, Boehringer Ingelheim and both Covance facilities.

Recommendations for the alleviation of the current situation within US labs:

1. Replace the supervisory staff of the Eastern Regional Office of the USDA. Apparently these officials lack interest in law enforcement.

2. Development of automatic penalties for infractions that take the life of an animal or seriously compromise the welfare of an animal’s (i.e. actions that deprive animals of food, water, etc.)

3. The authority of the USDA to fine labs must be increased. OIG audits have stated that research facilities consider the level of fines routinely levied by the USDA part of the cost of doing business. These fines should be made substantial enough to be true incentives to follow regulations. Tripling the current level of penalties should be sufficient.

4. Automatic suspension of federal funding to any laboratory with more than 9 AWA violations within a year should become an added penalty for non-compliance.

Go on to Appendix A USDA/APHIS/OIG Audit Summary
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