USDA cites Fort Valley State veterinary science for fraudulent report, animal treatment

Caption

Fort Valley State University’s campus in a Telegraph file photo. FVSU was cited by the USDA in February for the third time in three inspections.

Credit: Jason Vorhees / The Telegraph

The federal government cited Fort Valley State University’s veterinary science department for six violations during an annual inspection in February, marking the third time in three years the school has been hit with multiple citations.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Feb. 7 inspection noted the veterinary school failed to consider alternatives to painful surgeries on animals and did not justify the number of animals they were using in experiments, among other problems.

The veterinary medical officer conducting the inspection also cited FVSU’s 2022 annual report, saying that the school didn’t fully disclose how many animals they used in experiments.

The school allegedly reported fewer dogs and rabbits than were at the facility and failed to report cows and horses that were used for teaching purposes. The department also did not justify experiments that could have been duplicates, the report said.

The USDA cited the school last year for violations ranging from long nails on dogs to guinea pig cages filled with “excessive accumulation of feces.” While the school did not get any sanitary violations this year, the report said they failed to keep certain cages at proper temperatures.

The inspection in 2021 came with a warning from the USDA, threatening legal action if violations continued. Some of the violations in the February inspection were repeats from past inspections.

The USDA conducts inspections of animals used in research institutions under the 1966 Animal Welfare Act. FVSU did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

This story comes to GPB through a reporting partnership with The Telegraph.