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

Press Releases

UCSF repeatedly breaks federal laws, ranks No. 1 on list of lab lawbreakers, says watchdog; insider photos released

NEWS CONFERENCE ADVISORY

For Immediate Release

Wednesday, August 4, 2004

SAN FRANCISCO - A national watchdog organization will charge Thursday that the University of California, San Francisco's animal care facilities rank No. 1 in a listing of the worst federal law violators, according to a survey of U.S. research institutions.

A news conference will be held THURSDAY, at 10 a.m., at the UCSF Ambulatory Care Center (400 Parnassus, at statue) to release details of an investigative report - including graphic photos of photos depicting law violations.

Michael A. Budkie, A.H.T., Executive Director of Cincinnati-based SAEN, a national, non-profit research watchdog organization, will conduct the news briefing and be available to answer questions about the report and the "insider" photographs.

Budkie will also announce a major investigation - and the filing of official complaints with the U.S. Dept. of Agriculture - against UC research laboratories, including those at UCLA and University of California, Davis.

In the white paper to be released Thursday, "Breaking the Law: Animal Care in U.S. Laboratories," a statistical analysis shows U.S. laboratories regularly break federal laws, endangering animals and research projects without fear of consequences.

SAEN claims an audit of 25 nationally-known labs exposed a pattern of violating the law. UCSF ranked at the top of the 12 worst laboratories, known as the "Dirty Dozen," with 51 violations. That included 30 "repeat" violations - meaning UCSF repeatedly ignored federal laws even when cited previously for them.

Other major federal law violators include Johns Hopkins, Emory University, University of Pennsylvania, Harvard, Florida, and University of Pittsburgh. SAEN claims an audit of 25 nationally-known labs exposed a pattern of violating the law. Government reports reveal these facilities violated federal regulations 559 times in a 3-year period.

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