Sign Up Now
Get instant access to over 1 million+ study documents
OR
Already registered? click here to login
By creating your account, you agree to our terms of service, privacy policy and student honor code.
Animal Welfare Ethics: Is There A Balanced Approach?
Part One: The Question
It is generally considered unethical, even illegal, to practice cruelty towards animals reared as pets. Wantonly killing wildlife is similarly scorned, and yet for some reason consumers turn a blind eye to livestock. It is possible to eat a balanced, healthy, and delicious diet that does not include meat but it is also understandable that many people would prefer a more balanced approach to animal welfare and the ethics of meat consumption. Therefore, the ethical question for this paper is: “Are factory farming conditions unethical, and if so, what would constitute an ethical framework for farming animals?”
Part Two: Introduction
Almost all (99%) of all livestock in the United States is raised in what is known as “factory farming” conditions, described by the ASCPA (2018) as “a large, industrial operation that raises large numbers of animals for food,” (p. 1). While many people take the source of their meat for granted, the conditions of factory farms have been increasingly called into question and not just by radical animal rights activists. Former factory farm employees have been speaking out about the cruel conditions...
Likewise, the ASCPA (2018) claims that factory farms “focus on profit and efficiency at the expense of animal welfare,” (p. 1). Yet no matter how many vegans try and shift social norms to get consumers to care more about animals, it seems unlikely that eating meat is going away anytime soon. The purpose of this paper is to question whether there is an ethical balance between veganism on the one hand, and the currently ethically spurious model of factory farming.
Part Three: Position Statement
The conditions in factory farms can be considered inhumane given that any time a sentient being is being harmed or killed, it is experiencing pain. Causing pain to another creature can be considered cruel, particularly if that pain can be avoided simply by avoiding the consumption of animal products. This is the core vegan ethical argument, and yet it is unreasonable to assume that humanity is ready for a complete transformation in the way they live and eat. Therefore, a more reasonable approach to the question of animal rights is how factory farming conditions can be improved, if…
References
ASPCA (2018). Factory farms. https://www.aspca.org/animal-cruelty/farm-animal-welfare
Gollom. M. (2014). Treatment of farm livestock. CBC News Canada. 16 April, 2014. http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/treatment-of-farm-livestock-deciding-what-s-ethical-1.2611359
Hosie, R. (2017). The undercover investigators exposing animal abuse in factory farms. The Independent. https://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/animal-abuse-factory-farms-undercover-investigators-pigs-chickens-cows-turkeys-mercy-for-animals-a7501816.html
Soltaroff, P. (2013). In the belly of the beast. Rolling Stone. https://www.rollingstone.com/feature/belly-beast-meat-factory-farms-animal-activists
Animal Rights and Ethics Ingram (2001) in an article hosted by Stop Animal Exploitation NOW! (SAEN) organization reports accusations of animal rights abuses by the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA). There are three levels of animal use in research: experiments with minimal distress, experiments with the potential for distress but using pain relievers and experiments with the potential for distress without medication. Detailed regulations in the Animal Welfare Act state that
Animal Welfare Assurance Organizations Animal welfare: Assurance organizations Organization 1: Manes and Tails Mission (Hoboken, NJ) Manes and Tails Mission, located in Hoboken, NJ is a locally-based organization that oversees a variety of efforts to reduce cruelty against horses. Given the faltering economy, many horses have been abandoned and/or abused, as fewer and fewer people have the ability to care for their animals properly. Horses from the racetrack or who have been used
These abilities are inclusive of memory emotion, belief, desire, intentional actions and an awareness of the future. With these things being understood this theory asserts that mammals not only have physical bodies that are alive but they also function as psychological beings whose existence can get better or worse. Proponents of this theory argue that other mammals have this capacity even though they cannot use human language to articulate
Pig welfare has been receiving a tremendous amount of attention in both scientific literature and in public policy analysis. The UK Department for Environment Food and Rural Affairs (2013) and Crown legislation both offer detailed guidelines for humane pig husbandry. Central to pig welfare is the reduction of stress within the farm environment. Current policy and legislation covers such issues as pen size, prevention of fighting amongst pigs, castration, sanitation,
By using animals in research, and through animal research science learns how certain chemicals "interact with living systems"; this knowledge can be "translated into protection of humans, animals, and the environment from toxic levels of natural -- as well as man-made -- exposures (SOT, 6). Legal and professional accountability In Canada there are Research Ethics Boards (REBs) that have the power to authorize or reject funding for experiments with animals; when
The well-being of an animal, preservation of species and biological diversity is always given first priority when it comes to deciding upon the appropriateness of research to be undertaken (Lin, 2013). It reaches a point in time when some animals have to be released to the wild from the zoos. This is normally conducted in accordance with IUCN/SSC/Reintroduction Specialist group guidelines. Before the animals are released to the wild, they