The US Department of Agriculture's sudden removal of thousands of public records relating to animal welfare, supposedly based on a “commitment to being transparent” (see go.nature.com/2ktvzhp), undermines the very purposes of the Animal Welfare Act (see Nature doi.org/bzg3; 2017). If the department fails to repost the information swiftly, more than one million animals used in research, the wholesale pet trade and exhibitions stand to suffer inhumane treatment.

Access to these records helped consumers and state and local governments to make informed decisions and, crucially, allowed public oversight of the government's implementation of this significant animal-protection law. The act is also intended to ensure that the public is aware of how animals are being treated.

The agriculture department's own Office of Inspector General has repeatedly condemned implementation of the act as “ineffective”. The department can be held accountable only if its public records are restored and public access is reinstated.