Ethics

It has become obvious that neither industry spokespeople or producers can articulate a convincing defense for the use of typical industry standard stalls in farrowing or gestation.  Because of this, and unless this changes, the industry can expect the geography over which they will not be allowed by law will expand until they are a thing of the past.

While those who hear the arguments against crates don't analyze it at the level of philosophy or academic ethics, the priniciple reasoning which is mounted to oppose crates comes from natural law and a kind of anthropomorphic appeal to the modern version of utilitarianism.  

One of the more revealing outcomes of the voting which took place this week throughout the nation was centered in California.  The people of California followed the trend in Florida and Arizona to adopt the position put forward by HSUS requiring that confinement structures for all farm animals be revised to allow more space.  Don't be too quick to dismiss this as the expected outcome from the "left coast".

     Oprah took on California's proposition 2 which seeks to provide farm animals in confinement with room to turn around, stand up, lie down and fully extend their limbs.  In a series of video-taped vignettes, two systems of production were visited for veal calves, pork production and egg-layers which sought to contrast these systems on the basis of the room provided the animals.  In general, they were reasonable representatives of confinement systems vs more open or free range approaches.  The exception would be the veal video where an atypical confinement system was highlighted

SwineCast 0326 Show Notes:

• Special presentation for leaders and leaders to be: eight elements of leadership presented by CEO of Berry Petroleum Robert Heinemann - conduct, business decisions and transactions based on a foundation of leadership and ethics
  

     One of the more effective tactics of those who oppose modern animal production has been to threaten the global brand of final processors and retailers in order to gain negotiating power in attempts to change production methods.  By raising an ethical argument to modern production they have buttressed their assertions against the counter argument from science. 

     This is a very efficient approach since once their notions are accepted by major retailers like Wal-Mart, forcing change down the chain is greatly facilitated.

     Yesterday the Wall Street Journal published the results of an experiment conducted by a doctoral student from the University of Western Ontario. (http://online.wsj.com/article/SB121018735490274425.html)

Pork production in the United States is a moral and virtuous activity in that it creates an abundant, continuous, safe, low-cost and nutritious supply of food for people and families in this country and all over the world.  Providing food for others as a vocation is to daily dedicate oneself to the most elementary affirmation of life itself, for without food there is no life. 

Beyond this most basic affirmation of life, food plays an equally fundamental role in creating and defining the deep cultural bonds and family traditions which connect people to each other and to their history thereby creating and sustaining the human family in all of its rich and diverse customs and identities.  By daily shouldering the unique and challenging production and economic risks and performing the hard work inherent in agricultural endeavors, pork producers along with other farmers free countless millions, whose first obligation would otherwise be to grow food for themselves and their families, to follow their own callings and passions, explore alternate careers and enables them to create value and find fulfillment in every other field of human venture.