The report, titled “The Worst of Both Worlds: The Hidden Lives of Farmed Animals at the Intersection of Agriculture and Experimentation,” was written by Animal Partisan Research and Operations Associate Zoe Griffiths. The investigation examined public records from 10 universities accredited by AAALAC International, an organization that accredits animal care and use programs.
According to the report, the records were obtained through public requests made in collaboration with Rise for Animals and include documents from the University of Idaho submitted to AAALAC between 2020 and 2026.
At UI, the report identifies several experiments involving cattle that the organization described as “distressing.” These include exposing male dairy calves to simulated wildfire smoke for six hours before euthanasia, withholding colostrum, the first milk produced by a mother after giving birth, from newborn calves before subjecting them to transportation stress and euthanizing them and intentionally exposing lactating cows to heat stress.
The report also describes an internal UI investigation into the deaths of six calves during a transportation-stress experiment. According to Animal Partisan, the investigation found that the principal investigator knowingly obtained calves experiencing “failure of passive transfer,” a condition associated with inadequate colostrum intake, for the experiment.
The federal Animal Welfare Act excludes farmed animals used in agricultural research from its definition of animals covered by the law. Animal Partisan argues that this exemption leaves many animals used in agricultural research outside the federal reporting and oversight requirements that apply to other research animals.
The investigation estimates that UI received at least $2.8 million in federal grants connected to the experiments examined by the report over the past five years.
Animal Partisan estimates that over 97,000 farmed animals were used across the 10 universities in a single year, including 5,000 farmed animals, primarily cattle, used in agricultural research, teaching, and commercial production at UI in a single year. The report estimates that 96% of all the animals were not covered by protections under the federal Animal Welfare Act.
The report notes that its university sample was not randomly selected and that the aggregate figures represent different reporting years, primarily from 2022 to 2026. The report also says its estimates rely on university and federal records that may vary in the amount of information they disclose.
Griffiths, the report’s author, said the findings show a need for greater awareness of the animals used in university agricultural programs.
“The UI community deserves to know the scale and extent of the harm faced by the farmed animals under the university’s control, before their milk and other by-products are sold on campus,” Griffiths said.
Animal Partisan’s report is based on records from UI and nine other public universities and represents the organization’s analysis and characterization of those records. The report can be read here.
Reply from University of Idaho Agriculture department Director of Communications Amy Calabretta:
“Thank you for the opportunity to provide a response to this article. I’ll address a few of the specific points below, but would first like to comment on why we do animal research at UI.
As a land-grant institution, we are federally mandated to conduct animal research only when it is necessary to advance scientific understanding, improve animal health and management practices, address challenges facing producers or to support educational objectives. Research helps scientists, veterinarians, producers and students develop knowledge that contributes to animal welfare, food production and agricultural resilience. Ultimately, our goal is to improve animal health and wellbeing while also helping to address real-world challenges facing the agricultural industry and the people of Idaho. We understand that people may have questions or concerns when they learn about animal research, and we welcome those conversations.
The care and welfare of animals is our top priority, and we work to ensure that all animals under our care are treated humanely and responsibly. All animal research conducted at UI is subject to extensive review, oversight and federal regulations. Research protocols are reviewed and approved by the university’s Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee (IACUC), which includes scientific experts as well as non-academic community representatives – all of whom vote to approve or disapprove research proposals. Any project involving animals is overseen by trained professionals, including veterinarians, researchers and animal care staff who must be independently certified through regulatory compliance training before they can work with any animals at UI.”
She also addresses the statement: “The UI community deserves to know the scale and extent of the harm faced by the farmed animals under the university’s control, before their milk and other by-products are sold on campus,” Saying, “Again, our goal is to improve animal health and welfare through research. Our scientists design studies to minimize stress and potential harm to animals, using the minimum number of animals possible and using viable alternatives whenever possible. Each approved project undergoes extensive periodic review to ensure that they are being conducted as humanely as possible.”
“I’d also like to emphasize that all animals and animal by-products are never sold for human consumption unless they meet all applicable federal food safety and regulatory requirements. Any products entering the food supply are subject to the same inspection and safety standards required by law.”
You can reach Amy Calabretta at [email protected]
Sam Walsh can be reached at [email protected]