USDA no longer experimenting on kittens after 7 On Your Side gets action

WASHINGTON (ABC7) — A major update to a story 7 On Your Side first broke last year. The USDA will no longer experiment with kittens at a Beltsville, Maryland lab.

The USDA is not only ending kitten experiments at its lab in Beltsville, Maryland, but it also says it will no longer include any cats in its research at any lab.

The D.C. based tax payers watch dog group, White Coat Waste Project, first told ABC7 about the killing of thousands of kittens over 36 years at the lab in May of last year.

USDA says the research was necessary to fight toxoplasmosis, a food borne illnesses in humans. It now says the research has reached its maturity and helped reduce the illness by 50 percent in the United States.

RELATED:New bill calls for USDA to stop euthanizing test kittens

Animal rights groups wanted the kittens adopted out saying the Centers for Disease Control, American Veterinary Medical Association and Association of American Veterinary Medical Colleges say the kittens are safe and if re-infected medical treatment cures the infection.

After our first story aired last year more than 2 million people and 50 members of Congress called for the ending of the experiment and the Kitten Act 2018 was created that called for the kittens to be adopted out and the experiments to find an alternative to kittens.

“We are absolutely thrilled that kittens are out of harm’s way and taxpayers are no longer going to have to pay for cat abuse at the USDA. There was immense pressure on the USDA from both sides. WJLA was intrigal in exposing this abuse in the area and in the DMV and helping build pressure on the USDA to stop it,” says Justin Goodman, Vice President of Advocacy & Public Policy for White Coat Waste Project.

New England Anti-Vivisection Society (NEAVS) in September joined White Coats Waste Project in an attempt to find homes for any kittens that the USDA would have over but USDA said the kittens could be re-infected and could cause harm to humans.

“These kitten-killing experiments are finally over, won’t be coming back, and we’re grateful that USDA agreed to our request to adopt out the animals instead of automatically killing them”, said Mike Ryan with the New England Anti-Vivisection Society (NEAVS).” This sends a powerful message to any federal employees thinking of harming animals in experiments: science is no excuse for animal abuse.”

Here is USDA’s entire statement on the ending of the experiments:

The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Agricultural Research Service (ARS) today announced its toxoplasmosis research has been redirected and the use of cats as part of any research protocol in any ARS laboratory has been discontinued and will not be reinstated.

“Food safety research in ARS is of paramount importance for agriculture and the public we serve,” ARS Administrator Dr. Chavonda Jacobs-Young said. “We are continually assessing our research and priorities and aligning our resources to the problems of highest national priority. We are excited for the next chapter of work for these scientists and this laboratory.”

Background:

ARS is a world leader in research on the Toxoplasma gondii (T. gondii) parasite, which causes toxoplasmosis, a disease considered to be a leading cause of death from foodborne illness in the United States, especially for individuals with weak immune systems such as children and HIV patients. The agency’s research in this area has borne undeniable results – including helping to cut the prevalence of T. gondii by as much as 50 percent in the United States.

Over the course of this research, ARS worked to minimize reliance on cats – the only hosts in which T. gondii can complete its life cycle and produce oocysts (eggs) – as agency researchers worked to understand and combat toxoplasmosis.

In May 2018, after hearing the feedback of our customers and stakeholders, USDA took several actions, including commissioning external and internal scientific reviews that assessed the agency’s involvement in this research area and the feasibility of adoption for cats used in the research. Additionally, no cats have been infected with toxoplasmosis pathogens or euthanized since September 2018.

In November 2018, an external independent panel charged with reviewing the safety of adopting the cats unanimously agreed that cats infected with toxoplasmosis pathogens should not be placed for adoption, as the risk to human health was too great. ARS has had no infected cats on any facility premises since September 2018.

The panel recommended that cats that were never infected with the T. gondii parasite should be made available for adoption. USDA is in the process of adopting these 14 cats to USDA employees in accordance with regulatory guidelines.

ARS toxoplasmosis research has reached its maturity and ARS considers the project’s objectives for agriculture achieved. While there is still additional research needed in this area regarding human health, this research area is outside of USDA’s stated mission.

Effective immediately at the recommendation of ARS scientists under the leadership of Dr. Chavonda Jacobs-Young:

• USDA toxoplasmosis research is being redirected to other food safety research of high priority for agriculture; and
• Use of cats as part of any research protocol in any laboratory in ARS has been discontinued and will not be reinstated.

USDA remains committed to its mission of finding scientific solutions for the nation’s most critical agricultural problems with the strictest adherence to ethical standards.

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Americans for Medical Progress emailed:

Animals play a critical and often irreplaceable role in the research process. Animal studies help us identify new ways to fight disease. They also allow us to ensure new medications and treatments are safe and effective.

The significant public interest in the USDA’s Toxoplasmosis research offers some important lessons for research advocates and opponents alike. First, the scientific community as a whole, must increase public communications and transparency so that Americans better understand when and why animals are required for biomedical research.

Secondly, if our country has any hope of ensuring continued medical progress along with effective animal welfare, we need to have a reasonable public debate based on facts. Emotionally-charged rhetoric and demonizing opponents has sadly become commonplace in American politics. We cannot however allow this practice to become the norm when making important decisions about science. Our collective health and wellbeing depend upon it.

Jim Newman

Director of Strategic Communications

Americans for Medical Progress