USDA Inspector General Says Greater Oversight Needed of Notorious Animal Research Facility

The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Inspector General has stated that the agency must increase oversight of its now infamous animal research facility. The USDA’s Meat Animal Research Center in Clay Center, Neb., came under fire in January 2015 when a New York Times exposé revealed systemic animal welfare problems at the facility, whose mission is to “increase efficiency of livestock production.” The article revealed widespread illness, pain, and premature death by animals at the hands of facility employees. As reported by the same newspaper, the Inspector General report explains that the USDA body in charge of the facility failed to properly monitor animal welfare. In a larger way, the facility’s—and USDA’s—work is problematic for human health as meat consumption has been linked to increased risk of heart disease, diabetes, breast cancer, and early death.