As part of the farm bill enacted on May 13, Congress directed the U.S. Department of Agriculture to explicitly exempt rats, mice, and birds from coverage under the Animal Welfare Act (AWA). It’s a triumph for biomedical research groups–and a painful setback for animal-rights organizers.
The latter have been campaigning that coverage of small lab animals under the 36-year-old AWA is necessary to guarantee their humane treatment.
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