Student: Tarun Bishop
Graduation date: May 2018
Type: Concentration (single major)
Date approved: November 2015
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Summary
In my concentration, I will explore the issue of animal welfare, and will focus on the agricultural industry. Animal welfare is distinct from species conservation, because animal welfare focuses on the intrinsic value of the well-being of an individual animal, regardless of species or position in the ecosystem. Peter Singer and Jim Mason theorize that the advent of animal agriculture gave rise to the notion that it is acceptable to use animals instrumentally. They go on to examine recent history, in which awareness of factory farming has risen (Singer and Mason 2006, 3-6). Estimates suggest that, today, worldwide, tens of billions of animals are killed for human consumption per year, and an examination of history uncovers the rise in human consumption of animal products, and the rise in intensive farming practices. While public awareness is growing, the public is largely misinformed about animal agriculture. Because people wish that animals have lives free of unnecessary suffering, companies project a “welfare-friendly” image to the public. Additionally, the commercial practice of animal agriculture is driven, primarily, by the most effective methods to maximize profit, not to maximize animal welfare (Hemsworth and Coleman 2011, 21). I would also like to focus on chicken farms, because the great majority of land animals killed for food are chickens (The Animal Kill Counter), and the conditions on chicken farms tend to be considerably worse than those on cow and pig farms.
The United States has generally been slow to develop standards for the treatment of farm animals. While there are minimal regulations that govern the transport and slaughter of animals, no national laws govern the treatment of animals while on farms. Such laws are left to the states, many of which have passed few to no such laws. Additionally, enforcement of these laws is sparse, and farmers and producers have few incentives to adhere to these guidelines (Mench 2003). Many states’ anti-cruelty laws have exceptions for “accepted husbandry practices”; as of 1999, these states include Arizona, Colorado, Connecticut, New Jersey, and Iowa, (Frasch et. al. 1999, 77-78). I would like to explore the potential reasons for this, because these states seem to have little in common. Arizona and Colorado are fairly conservative states, but Connecticut, New Jersey and Iowa are fairly liberal, and it seems likely that progressive states would give animals more legal protection. Perhaps some of these states have stronger guidelines, and because of this, they need the exemptions, in order to practice customary farming practices.
In the European Union, standards for farm animal treatment are substantially higher than they are in the United States and much of the rest of the world. By European Union standards, since 2012, chicken cages must provide a minimum of 750 square centimeters per hen (Horne and Achterbosch 2008). Eggs sold in the United Kingdom are dramatically more likely to be free range than are eggs sold in the United States (Singer and Mason 2006, 5-6). Given that American culture is largely “Western,” I would like to explore potential reasons behind this difference between the United States and the European Union. It may be due to differences in the political structures of the USA and the EU. In general, the American government is slower to pass laws, if the legislature is split.
The most dramatic increase in meat consumption has been in developing nations. Worldwide meat production in 2003 was more than five times what it was in 1950, which indicates a per-capita increase, because while the human population increased during this time, it was not a five-fold increase. Meat used to be a “luxury” food, eaten less frequently and in smaller quantities. However, with new production techniques, far more animals are used, and meat consumption has soared. This has affected many nations in the East, because many animals are raised in the West, and sent to the East for slaughter. In the Philippines, chicken factory farms are on the rise, and chickens are increasingly packed in cages. This is likely due to a dramatic increase in chicken and egg consumption in the Philippines; in the 1980s, 50,000,000 birds per year were used for food and eggs in the Philippines; by 2003, that number was approximately 500,000,000. (Nierenberg 2003, 12-13).
Intensification of animal agriculture raises many important questions, because many people have vested interests in the system. The industry plays a significant role in the job market. With a rise in consumption of animal products, producers have important roles to play in the system, and they desire profit. This leads them to pressure workers to produce as many animals as possible. While this means higher profit for the company, and higher salaries for workers, worker safety and animal welfare are then given far lower priority (Striffler 2005).
An examination of historical trends and global patterns leads to many interesting findings, and I plan to focus on the ways in which we can move forward, to ensure a better future for animals. One critical question relates to diet: Can we continue to consume animal products, particularly at present levels, and ensure a better future for animals? Given that intensive farming practices are relatively new, yet on the rise, in developing nations, it is important to examine the ways in which we can reduce this trend. My concentration will focus on questions that demonstrate relationships between policy, culture, and animal welfare.
Citations:
Chandroo, K. P., I. J. H. Duncan, and R. D. Moccia. 2004. “Can fish suffer?: perspectives on sentience, pain, fear, and stress.” Applied Animal Behaviour Science. doi:10.1016/j.applanim.2004.02.004.
Frasch, Pamela D.; Otto, Stephan K.; Olsen, Kristen M.; Ernest, Paul A. 1999. “State Animal Anti-Cruelty Statutes: An Overview Essay.” Law Journal Library. Vol 5:69.
Fraser, D., D. M. Weary, E. A. Pajor, and B. N. Milligan. 1997. “A Scientific Conception of Animal Welfare that Reflects Ethical Concerns.”Center for Food and Animal Research. Accessed October 7, 2015.
Hemsworth, Paul H. and Coleman, Grahame J. 2011. “Farm Animal Welfare: Assessment, Issues and Implications.” In Human-Livestock Interactions, Second Edition: The Stockperson and the Productivity and Welfare of Intensely Farmed Animals, 21.
Meda, B., M. Hassouna, C. Aubert, P. Robin, and J. Y. Dourmad. 2011. “Influence of rearing conditions and manure management practices on ammonia and greenhouse gas emissions from poultry houses.” World’s Poultry Science Association.
Mench, J. A. 2003. “Assessing animal welfare at the farm and group level: a United States perspective.” Animal Welfare, Volume 2, Number 4. Universities Federation for Animal Welfare.
“More Than 150 Billion Animals Slaughtered Every Year.” The Animal Kill Counter: Animals Deserve Absolute Protection Today and Tomorrow. Accessed October 16, 2015.
Nierenburg, Danielle. 2003. “Factory Farming in the Developing World: In some critical respects, this is not progress at all.” Worldwatch Institute.
Singer, Peter and Jim Mason. 2006. The Ethics of What We Eat: Why Our Food Choices Matter. Rodale Inc.
Striffler, Steve. 2005. Chicken: The Dangerous Transformation of America’s Favorite Food. Yale University.
Questions
- Descriptive: What is the state of farm animal welfare today in the United States, the European Union, and developing nations? How does the legal regulation of animal agriculture differ throughout the world? How have animal farming practices changed throughout history?
- Explanatory: Why is there more legal regulation of conditions for farmed animals in the European Union than they do in the United States? For example, is it because European culture is more sensitive to animal welfare, or because the EU government is more conscious of consumer health? Why have humans consumed, in recent years, increasingly large quantities of animal products? Why are intensive farming practices on the rise in developing nations, such as the Philippines?
- Evaluative: How do cultural differences (between, for example, the United States, Europe, and Asia) lead to differences in the welfare of animals, especially farmed animals, across the world? How has the evolving human diet affected animal agricultural practices, and how have these agricultural practices affected animal welfare?
- Instrumental: How do we ensure a better future for animals, especially farm animals? Should we reduce our consumption of animal products? How do we best frame the interests of animals, so that minimum standards are most easily adaptable by the legal system and by general society?
Concentration courses
- SOAN 249 (The Political Economy of Food, 4 credits), Fall 2015 -- This course examines food in the world, from a variety of perspectives. It explores animal welfare, in that it discusses the promises of certain companies to go cage-free, etc. by a certain year. It also discusses vegetarianism and veganism.
- ENVS 460 (Environmental Law and Policy, 4 credits), Fall 2016 -- This course is taught by Lewis and Clark Law School professors. It surveys a breadth of issues relating to environmental law and policy, including the Endangered Species Act, which tackles animal protection from the perspective of species conservation.
- PHIL 299 & PSY 299 (Animal Studies Independent Study, 4 credits), Fall 2016 & Spring 2017 (2 credits each semester) -- This is a student-run independent study course on animal ethics. I plan to divide this course into two semesters, and have each semester count for two credits. I hope to approach it from a different angle each semester. This course will integrate animal studies into a variety of disciplines, and explore the ways in which cultures view non-human animals, as well as the reasons for these cultural beliefs. Topics include animal testing, eating animals, wild animals and captivity, animal law, and intersection between animal studies and other fields of study.
- LCINST 449 (Animal Law Fundamentals, 3 credits), Fall 2017 -- This is an Animal Law course at the Lewis and Clark Law School. It examines the ways in which the law impacts animals, and the ways in which animals are viewed by the legal system.
- ENVS 295 (Environmental Engagement, 2 credits), Fall 2017 -- This course is designed to give students an opportunity to design an engagement project around an environmental issue of choice. For my project, I plan to conduct a survey surrounding perceptions of animals, which relates well to my concentration, because this will help to demonstrate why people give higher or lower priority to non-human animal suffering, particularly in the agricultural industry.
Arts and humanities courses
- HIST 261 (Global Environmental History, 4 credits). Pre-approved A&H course; no justification required.
- PHIL 215 (Philosophy and the Environment, 4 credits). Pre-approved A&H course; no justification required.
- HIST 264 (From Stumptown to Portlandia: The History of Portland, 4 credits) -- This course explores the history of Portland, "from rough-and-tumble center of the timber industry to hipster mecca." It examines development of "gentrification," distribution of fire stations, and geography of various neighborhoods.