NAVS’ latest investigation reveals persistent animal welfare violations—and a troubling lack of federal enforcement.
Every year, the U.S. Department of Agriculture inspects facilities that use animals in research and testing. The resulting reports are public records, but they are scattered across hundreds of documents, dense with technical language, and rarely assembled into a clear picture of what animals are experiencing inside laboratories.
NAVS created the Laboratory Animal Care Audit to change that.
Now in its third year, this first-of-its-kind annual investigation examines federal inspection data from animal-use laboratories across the country. By organizing and analyzing these records, NAVS provides advocates, legal professionals, journalists, policymakers, educators, and members of the public with documented evidence they can use to demand greater accountability.
The 2026 Laboratory Animal Care Audit is now available and its findings should concern everyone who believes animals deserve meaningful protection.
What the 2026 Audit Found
NAVS’ review identified:
- 92 facilities cited for animal welfare violations
- 45 repeat offenders that had been cited in previous years and remained noncompliant
- Violations spanning 28 states
- Zero fines issued for any violation in 2025
That final number is not a mistake. Despite documented violations—including repeated noncompliance by dozens of facilities—federal regulators issued no financial penalties during the year covered by the Audit.
Without meaningful enforcement, citations alone may do little to change conditions for animals. Facilities can continue operating after violations are documented, and repeat offenders may face few practical consequences for failing to correct ongoing problems.
The Audit makes this enforcement gap visible.
Turning Public Records Into Public Accountability
Federal inspection reports contain important information about the treatment of animals, but information cannot drive change if it remains difficult to find or understand.
The Laboratory Animal Care Audit brings those records together in one accessible resource. Readers can examine facility-level data, identify repeat offenders, explore documented violation types, and better understand how federal oversight functions—or fails to function—in practice.
For animal advocates, the findings can help inform campaigns and legislative efforts. For attorneys and educators, the Audit provides an organized record for legal research, policy analysis, and classroom discussion. For journalists, it offers a foundation for further investigation into individual facilities and broader enforcement trends.
Most importantly, the Audit brings the experiences of animals in laboratories out of obscurity and into public view.
Read the 2026 Laboratory Animal Care Audit and explore the interactive findings.
Join NAVS for a Closer Look
NAVS will also host a free virtual discussion, Paper Trails and Paths to Freedom: Inside the 2026 Laboratory Animal Care Audit, on October 6, 2026, at 2:00 p.m. ET.
The conversation will examine what this year’s findings mean for animals and how documented violations can become a starting point for meaningful change. Participants will also hear the story of a laboratory closure that gave animals a new chance at life in sanctuary.
The program will feature:
- Meredith Blanchard, NAVS Director of Advocacy and Sanctuary
- Robert Hollocher, NAVS Advocacy and Policy Specialist
- John Ramer, Executive Director of Kindness Ranch Animal Sanctuary
Together, they will connect the paper trail of federal inspections to the animals behind the records—and discuss how advocates can help push for stronger oversight, protection, and accountability.
Visit the Laboratory Animal Care Audit page to read the report and register for the free webinar.
Documenting violations is only the first step. By making these findings visible, sharing them with others, and calling for meaningful enforcement, we can help ensure that animals are no longer hidden behind paperwork—and that documented suffering is met with action.
