Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service’s Horse Protection Act Inspection and Disqualification Processes at Horse Show Events

We recommend that APHIS establish a formal conflicts-of-interest policy that outlines the responsibilities and expectations for all VMOs that perform inspections at horse shows.

We recommend that APHIS establish a process to monitor inspectors’ completion of the requirements set forth in its formal conflicts-of-interest policy to ensure all requirements and actions are complete.

We recommend that APHIS conduct and document an assessment to determine the feasibility of implementing an alternative dispute resolution process for noncompliance determinations made during HPA horse shows.

USDA OIG has determined that this recommendation contains sensitive information and will not be publicly released due to privacy concerns.

We recommend that APHIS develop a process to ensure HPA policy guidance and expectations are communicated to the horse show industry in advance of their implementation date and the start of the horse show season.