Mt Hope Auction

Ohio Auction Prevented from Conducting Business Due to Animal Welfare Act Violations

Under the consent decree, the Mt. Hope Auction agrees not to deal in or exhibit AWA-regulated animals without a license, and to allow the USDA access to ensure compliance with this provision. Moreover, if the Mt. Hope Auction applies for and obtains a new USDA license within the next three years, it agrees to a two-year probationary period.

“USDA is committed to ensuring the safety and wellbeing of animals protected under the Animal Welfare Act,” said Deputy Administrator Sarah Helming for USDA’s Animal Care program. “The partnership between USDA and DOJ helps to ensure enforcement of the AWA regulations for those who put regulated animals at risk.”

“Despite numerous opportunities to correct their business practices, Mt. Hope Auction chose not to comply,” said Rebecca Lutzko, U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of Ohio. “Their complete disregard for the laws regarding animal welfare and treatment placed both these animals and the public at large in danger. As this case demonstrates, we will hold accountable businesses that seek to profit from treating animals inhumanely.”

Mt. Hope also allowed the public to touch animals — including potentially dangerous coyotes, fox and bison — without proper barriers or employee supervision. The complaint also alleged that Mt. Hope had accepted hundreds of animals from sellers who did not hold a USDA license when they were required.

The court entered a temporary restraining order against Mt. Hope on Sept. 13, requiring the auction company to comply with several AWA requirements at its September Alternative Animal and Bird Sale. Mt. Hope canceled that sale. Mt. Hope’s USDA license was set to expire at the end of September, and after failing to demonstrate compliance at two inspections, Mt. Hope declined the third and final opportunity for a re-licensing inspection and terminated the re-licensing process.

The USDA investigated this case. Senior Trial Attorney Devon Flanagan and Trial Attorneys Kamela Caschette and Taylor Mayhall of the Environment and Natural Resources Division’s Wildlife and Marine Resources Section prosecuted the case, with the assistance of Assistant U.S. Attorneys Kathryn Andrachik and Elizabeth Deucher for the Northern District of Ohio.

Mt Hope Auction

Here’s what is coming to the Mt. Hope Event Center

Buggy Auction / Machinery Sale

At 11:00 am Millersburg

On August 23, 2025 starting at 11pm, the Mt. Hope Auction Buggy Sale will take place in the Event Center. Other Machinery Sale Details: A consignment sale [. ]

Ohio Haiti Benefit Auction

At 3:00 pm Millersburg

The Ohio Haiti Benefit will be hosted at the Mt. Hope Event Center on Friday August 29 and Saturday August 30, 2025. Friday, August 29, 2025 4:00 [. ]

Mid-Ohio Draft Horse Expo

At 2:00 pm Millersburg

The annual March Mid-Ohio Draft Horse Sale and Expo will be held at the Mt. Hope Auction the week of October 6, 2025. For details about [. ]

Chupp Amish Furniture Auction

At 12:00 am Millersburg

The spring Amish Furniture Auction, presented by Steve Chupp Auctions, will be held in the Mt. Hope Event Center on Friday October 24 and Saturday [. ]

The Organic Farming Conference

At 8:30 am Millersburg

SHOW HOURS: Thursday Nov. 6 – 8:30am – 3:30pm Friday Nov. 7 – 8:30am – 3:30pm The Organic Farming Conference will be held in the Mt. Hope Event [. ]

Eastern Draft Breeders Sale

At 6:00 am Millersburg

The Easter Draft Breeders Sale will take place at the Mt. Hope Event Center Thursday and Friday November 20 and 21, 2025. Thursday Schedule: 6:00 AM – [. ]

Mid-Ohio Equine Expo

At 9:00 am Millersburg

The annual Mid-Ohio Equine Expo will take place in the Mt. Hope Event Center on November 28 29, 2025. This expo runs in coordination [. ]

North American Standardbred Mixed Sale

At 8:00 am Millersburg

The North American Standardbred Mixed Sale, which will host the second annual auction on December 18 and 19, 2025 at the Mt. Hope Event Center in [. ]

The Event Center

Here are some details about the building in Mt. Hope.

The Size

The Mt. Hope Event Center is a 81,000 sq. ft. building locat [. ]

The Size

The Mt. Hope Event Center is a 81,000 sq. ft. building located on the campus of the Mt. Hope Auction. Since 2017 we’ve added another over 41,000 sq. ft. to help accommodate our larger trade shows and benefit auctions. If you are looking at hosting an event, show, wedding or auction please contact us about date availability and check our event webpage to see an calendar of availability.

Heating and Air Conditioning

The Mt. Hope Event Center is a climate-controlled facility w [. ]

Heating and Air Conditioning

The Mt. Hope Event Center is a climate-controlled facility with both heating and cooling to keep the winter events comfortable with heating and the summer events cool with air conditioning.

The Horse Arena Building

At Mt. Hope Auction we also have our Horse Arena building on [. ]

The Horse Arena Building

At Mt. Hope Auction we also have our Horse Arena building on the same campus as the Event Center and sale barn. The Horse Arena building is 27,000 sq. ft. and is connected to the Event Center via a tunnel to keep you out of the weather when moving from building to building. If you have interest in renting the Horse Arena for an event or auction, please contact us.

Directions

While the Mt. Hope Event Center sets on the campus of Mt. Ho [. ]

Directions

While the Mt. Hope Event Center sets on the campus of Mt. Hope Auction, it does have a Millersburg physical address. If you are visiting the Event Center or are a vendor at one of our shows, please use 8076 St. Rt. 241, Millersburg, Ohio 44654 in your GPS.

Clean Restrooms

At the Event Center we take pride in making sure that the bu [. ]

Clean Restrooms

At the Event Center we take pride in making sure that the building is clean, in good order and ready for you to take over as a renter with a tidy building. That includes our restrooms that are very large and kept fresh and orderly.

Our Kitchen

“Oh wow.“ That’s what we hear a lot when folks enter our m [. ]

Our Kitchen

“Oh wow.“ That’s what we hear a lot when folks enter our massive commercial kitchen. It’s loaded with cooler and freezer, 10-top range, 4′ griddle, convection oven and 12′ stainless steel table. With two serving windows and plenty of space to seat diners, you’ll be able to whip up great food for your event.

Mt. Hope Auction settles over alleged animal welfare violations

SALEM, Ohio — Mt. Hope Auction Co. recently settled with the U.S. Department of Justice over alleged violations of the Animal Welfare Act.

Under a consent decree filed Dec. 12 by the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Ohio, the Millersburg-based auction agreed not to deal in or exhibit AWA-regulated animals without a license, to allow the U.S. Department of Agriculture access to their sale barn to ensure compliance and to submit to monitoring and future restrictions designed to prevent future AWA violations through auctions of exotic or other regulated animals.

The USDA cited the business 69 times in less than two years for multiple violations of the AWA, including unsafe or unsanitary enclosures and allowing the public to come into direct contact with potentially dangerous wildlife, according to a complaint filed Sept. 6.

As part of the settlement, Mt. Hope Auction can reapply for a new USDA license to hold the Alternative Animal Auction. But the auction said it disagreed with the government’s allegations.

“Not only has this circumstance been disappointing to us and the entire private exotic animal community, but it has also highlighted what we perceive as inconsistent, unrealistic and ill-informed application of United States animal welfare laws and regulations,” Auction President Thurman Mullet said in the statement.

The case

According to the government’s filings, USDA performed 11 inspections since 2022, identifying alleged violations such as keeping inaccurate records and not properly maintaining enclosures. The government says Mt. Hope neglected to provide necessary veterinary care to 39 animals and accepted hundreds of animals from unauthorized vendors.

The temporary restraining order in September followed reports issued by PETA, the animal rights organization, going back to 2022 about alleged abuses and other incidents occurring at the Alternative Animal Auctions. PETA submitted a complaint to the USDA that year urging the government to inspect Mt. Hope Auction’s stockyard, resulting in the federal agency issuing 12 citations to the auction for failing to meet the minimum standards required by the AWA.

A USDA license is required to obtain and sell AWA-regulated animals. After the preliminary complaint, the court entered a temporary restraining order on Sept. 13 that ordered Mt. Hope to follow strict animal treatment rules at its Alternative Animal and Bird Sale set to take place Sept. 19-21. That event was subsequently canceled, as was a planned November exotic animal auction.

The government maintained its request for a longer-lasting order to ensure future compliance.

Under the terms of the newly approved consent decree, if Mt. Hope obtains a USDA license within the next three years, it must undergo a two-year probationary period. During that time, it must provide proper veterinary care, maintain detailed records, ensure safe housing for animals, prevent unsupervised public contact with animals and allow USDA officials to monitor compliance.

If Mt. Hope breaks these rules again, it could face permanent revocation of its license. With the court’s approval, the government will drop the lawsuit, but the court will retain the authority to enforce the decree’s terms.

“Despite numerous opportunities to correct their business practices, Mt. Hope Auction chose not to comply,” said Rebecca Lutzko, U.S. attorney for the Northern District of Ohio. “Their complete disregard for the laws regarding animal welfare and treatment placed both these animals and the public at large in danger. As this case demonstrates, we will hold accountable businesses that seek to profit from treating animals inhumanely.”

Mt. Hope’s side of things

Mt. Hope Auction disputes the government’s characterization of its operation and the conditions under which it has been inspected. In a statement, Mullet wrote the reinspection process was mired by a lack of cooperation from the USDA, and when inspectors did return, they cited the auction for negligible offenses.

The company noted that it has been involved in the private exotic and alternative animal industry since 1991, maintaining a USDA license for more than three decades without any incidents until recently.

In the statement, Mt. Hope expressed frustration that only in the past two years has the USDA raised concerns about their practices, despite what the auction describes as a long history of responsibly caring for tens of thousands of animals.

“Our livestock auctions remain heavily regulated by the Ohio Department of Agriculture,” said the statement. “ODA has found no violations or misconduct during hundreds of auctions held annually involving tens of thousands of animals, including prior to, during and following the time periods involved in USDA’s accusations.”

Mt. Hope also said it was not left with enough time to defend itself, with the case being filed only weeks before the auction’s license to conduct its popular Alternative Animal Auctions was set to expire, leading them to pursue a settlement.

“The agreement includes a wide variety of items that both sides (agree) to, including our right to reapply for a new license in the future,” the statement reads. “At this time, Mt. Hope will focus its efforts on our livestock, equipment and equine auctions. This includes continuing to abide by all ODA rules and regulations to provide a safe environment for all animals which pass through our doors, as well as dealers, patrons from the local community and around the world.”

The full statement from Mt. Hope is included below.

“Mt. Hope Auction has reached an agreement with the United States Department of Justice to resolve a lawsuit filed against our family business earlier this year. The lawsuit attempted to revoke Mt. Hope’s USDA license required to legally operate our Alternative Animal Auction.

We hosted our first alternative animal auction in 1991 and are proud of our role within the private exotic and alternative animal industry. Prior to 2022, Mt. Hope held a USDA license for over 30 years without incident. Only within the last two years has the USDA taken issue with any aspect of our operations, despite our decades of experience and care for the tens of thousands of animals sold through our market.

Not only has this circumstance been disappointing to us and the entire private exotic animal community, but it has also highlighted what we perceive as inconsistent, unrealistic and ill-informed application of United States animal welfare laws and Regulations.

Our livestock auctions remain heavily regulated by the Ohio Department of Agriculture. ODA has found no violations or misconduct during hundreds of auctions held annually involving tens of thousands of animals, including prior to, during, and following the time periods involved in USDA’s accusations.