New U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) initiatives point to more coordinated animal-welfare investigations, including with respect to companies involving the care and testing of animals.
On February 18, 2026, Attorney General (AG) Pam Bondi announced the release of a memorandum directing DOJ employees to prioritize animal welfare enforcement. The memo focuses DOJ’s sights on enforcing the Animal Fighting Venture Prohibition Act, Animal Welfare Act, Animal Crushing Statute, and the Humane Methods of Livestock Slaughter Act. This announcement has enforcement implications for any companies involved agriculture and food production, as well as animal handling, transport, and testing. While much of the language in these announcements focuses on dog fighting and illegal breeding facilities, the federal government’s enforcement priorities may extend beyond.
AG Bondi’s announcement comes on the heels of other federal animal welfare announcements, signaling potential for increased scrutiny of companies involved in animal testing. On December 19, 2025, a bipartisan group of U.S. House of Representatives members sent a letter to the National Institutes of Health director urging the agency to take steps to reduce reliance on animal testing. On December 20, 2025, Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. stated an intent to end animal testing in the United States during a joint interview with Attorney General Bondi and Secretary of Agriculture Brooke Rollins. In January 2026, the United States Environmental Protection Agency announced its goal to eliminate all mammalian animal testing by 2035. Taken together with AG Bondi’s memo, increased enforcement at facilities using animal testing may be on the horizon.
AG Bondi’s memo also announced DOJ’s focus on five initiatives:
- An Animal Welfare Summit focused on, among other things, investigative best practices, asset forfeiture, and coordination in multi-jurisdictional cases.
- Creation of an Animal Welfare Executive Strategy Committee focused on developing and executing a national strategy to combat animal welfare crimes, including development and distribution of an Animal Welfare Prosecutions manual.
- Developing a cross-functional federal team for executing search warrants and animal seizures, described as a “tiger team.”
- Continued use of the Asset Forfeiture Fund to pay for care of seized animals; and
- Distributing Office of Justice Programs grants to support animal-welfare enforcement.
These developments suggest DOJ is building a more robust operational infrastructure for sustained animal-welfare enforcement. Examination of DOJ’s monthly Environmental Crimes Bulletins shows that animal-related criminal enforcement has increased over the past year, and the announcement of these initiatives signals that enforcement will likely increase.
AG Bondi’s memo also suggested increased support and cooperation with interested NGOs and State law enforcement seeking to enforce animal welfare laws. For businesses with animal-facing operations, supply chains, facilities, contractors, or platforms, animal-welfare issues now present a clearer path from operational incident to coordinated state and federal investigation. The memo’s emphasis on national strategy initiatives, cohesive State and Federal law enforcement, and development of materials for prosecutors suggests DOJ seeks to reduce the practical barriers that arise in animal welfare enforcement.
Practical Considerations for Clients
Treat animal welfare as a criminal-enforcement risk, not only a regulatory or reputational issue. Companies in agriculture, food production, slaughter and processing, transportation, research, retail, e-commerce, pet care, and related sectors should ensure allegations involving animal handling, transport, slaughter, exhibition, online content, or third-party contractors are promptly escalated to legal and compliance teams.
Prepare for search warrants and animal seizures. Facilities with live-animal operations should confirm they have response plans for warrants, veterinary triage, chain of custody, care logistics, privileged communications, and interface with federal and state agents. The memo signals DOJ intends to invest in these operational aspects of animal-welfare cases.
Build animal-welfare diligence into transactions and third-party oversight. Because DOJ is formalizing a national strategy and cross-agency coordination, buyers, investors, and operators should assess animal-welfare controls in diligence, supplier management, contractor oversight, and post-acquisition integration.
Revisit self-disclosure protocols now. DOJ recently adopted department-wide rules for voluntarily self-disclosing violations as a method to avoid prosecution or reduce penalties. Companies should develop internal investigation and disclosure protocols to address whether violations are discovered or a whistleblower makes a complaint.
Christopher M. Bolte contributed to this article
