WASHINGTON (Sputnik) — Nine US Senators are urging the US Department of Agriculture (USDA) to investigate the possible inhumane treatment of animals at the US Meat Animal Research Center in Nebraska, the lawmakers said in a letter.
“We write with strong concerns over purported oversight failures and poor conditions at the US Meat Animal Research Center in Clay Center, Nebraska, as described recently in an investigatory report,” Friday's letter from the lawmakers said.
The senators’ call came after The New York Times’ reported on the seemingly harmful conditions animals at the facility are forced to live in.
The Senators asked the USDA’s Agricultural Research Service (ARS) responsible for overseeing animal welfare to conduct a full investigation and report their findings to Congress.
“I am going to be pushing the USDA to use this opportunity to review and revise its research standards to better align with those at other agricultural facilities,” Senator Ron Wyden of Oregon said in a statement on Friday.
The lawmakers also urged in the letter the ARS to thoroughly review its protocols and ensure “appropriate oversight of animal research and care at The Center going forward.”
