Report to Congress on the extent and effects of domestic and international terrorism in animal enterprises.

Vol. 36, No. 6, 1993 207 up to one year, to cause physical disruption to the functioning of an animal enterprise resulting in economic damage exceeding $10,000. The Act also imposes sentences of up to 10 years or life imprisonment, respectively, on persons causing the serious bodily injury or death of another person during the course of such an offense. Congress passed the Animal Enterprise Protection Act in response to concerns about what was perceived by many to be the rapidly expanding use of violence and other disruptive expressions of extremism on behalf of animal rights. Indeed, since the early 198Os, a broad range of enterprises, in both public and private sectors, that use or market animals or animal-derived products in their commercial or professional operations, have been targeted by radical elements within the animal rights movement with acts of disruption, vandalism, and in many cases physical destruction. In enacting the Animal Enterprise Protection Act, Congress sought both to punish those who engagein acts of terrorism against animal enterprises and to deter others from doing the same. In view of these objectives, the Act directs the Attorney General and the Secretary of Agriculture to conduct jointly a study on the extent and effects of domestic and international terrorism on enterprises using animals for food or fiber production, agriculture, research, or testing, and report the results of the study to Congress within a year of the Act’s passage. In compliance with this mandate, the Criminal Division of the Department of Justice (DOJ), with the assistance of the Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service of the Department of Agriculture (USDA), conducted a study of animal rights extremism in the United States and abroad. The following report conveys the findings of this study.