(CNN) People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals is preparing to sue the US Department of Agriculture and the Animal Health Inspection Service to obtain records of Animal Welfare Act enforcement actions, CNN has learned.
PETA says Freedom of Information Act requests for these records submitted between December 2016 and December 2017 have gone unanswered.
The complaint states in February 2017 the USDA abruptly removed from its website thousands of Animal Welfare Act-related records, including all enforcement records. Delcianna Winders, vice president and deputy general Counsel for the PETA Foundation told CNN, “while the agency has resumed posting some Animal Welfare Act records, it announced that it will not repost enforcement records, and has instead directed those interested in accessing these critical records to submit individual FOIA requests.”
PETA says it intends to file the suit Thursday. CNN reached out to the Department of Agriculture about the pending suit and the agency has not yet responded. Read more…