AWSC Scientific Meeting ANIMAL ETHICS AND LIVESTOCK PRODUCTION WHERE ARE WE GOING WITH OUR LIVESTOCK? Professor JOHN

1. AWSC Scientific Meeting ANIMAL ETHICS AND LIVESTOCK PRODUCTION WHERE ARE WE GOING WITH OUR LIVESTOCK? Professor JOHN HODGES AWSC

2. ETHICS NEW TOPIC IN AGRICULTURE AWSC

3. ETHICS NEW TOPIC IN AGRICULTURE ALSO A NEW TOPIC IN WESTERN SOCIETY WHY ? AWSC

4. ETHICS IN PUBLIC DOMAIN European Parliament Ethics Summit EU Reflection Group on Spiritual and Cultural Dimensions World Bank Moral and Spiritual Values in Development European Society for Agriculture and Food Ethics National Animal Science Societies Ethic Sessions & Journals AWSC

5. ETHICS “FEEDING THE WORLD IS A MORAL NOT AN ECONOMIC ISSUE” NELSON MANDELA MAY 2004 TO UN COMMUNITY: EMPOWERING THE WEAK TO HELP THEMSELVES WITHOUT ETHICS COMMUNITY IS UNSUSTAINABLE AWSC

6. AGRICULTURE IS CHANGINGHISTORIC ROLECAPITALIST RESOURCE FOUNDATION FOR GLOBAL COMMUNITY ? AWSC

7. THE CHALLENGE: VALUES FEED WORLD AND BUILD COMMUNITY OR SEE THE CHALLENGE ONLY AS A BUSINESS OPPORTUNITY AWSC

8. CO-OPERATION AND COMPEITION IN NATURE AND ECOSYSTEMS IN ALL SUCCESSFUL HUMAN SOCIETIES TODAY: COMPETITION RULES SOCIAL DARWINISM AWSC

9. CONTRASTING POSITIONS ON TREATMENT OF LIVESTOCK Arise from how we understand the differences of species Self perception of Homo sapiens shapes our view of livestock in our new society in which public decisions are based only on economic values AWSC

10. ANIMALS: TWO BROAD POSITIONS Ethical protests on animal welfare Dumb sentient animals unable to present their own case Business Management No discomfort evident Food, shelter, disease control Animals experience of life is different from humans AWSC

11. HISTORIC REVOLUTIONS IN AGRICULTURE Hunting-Gathering (Pre-history) Neolithic Revolution ( ~12,000+ years ago) Domestication, Community, Morality Agro-Industrial Revolution (1700 – 1945) Flowing from Renaissance, Reformation, Enlightenment Intensification Era – Crisis (1945-1990) Future – bleak unless we find new sustainable ways AWSC

12. NEOLITHIC REVOLUTIONAgricultural/Cultural ~12,000 years ago New features of human civilization Community living Artifacts from new quality of life Domestication of plants and animals Spread from Middle East with livestock Genetic drift forming diverse cultures AWSC

13. Homo sapiens in Europe Agriculture arrived with H. sapiens from Middle East after cultural revolution No Neanderthal Ancestors Iceman in Alps 5,300 years ago Mitochondrial DNA 90% modern European from 7 women AWSC

14. 1ST MAJOR SHIFT - NEOLITHIC REVOLUTIONAgricultural/Cultural ~12,000 years ago New quality of life factors Community living Belief in transcendence Morality Acceptable social behaviour Lawmaking Ethical standards AWSC

15. MAJOR SOCIAL – CULTURAL SHIFT IN EUROPEAN SOCIETY 1400- 1700 Renaissance Reformation Enlightenment AWSC

16. EMERGENCE OF INDUSTRY AND INDUSTRIAL AGRICULTURE 1800 - 2000 Intensification/Scale Reductionism Livestock Separated from Human Community Sustainability AWSC

17. ETHICS IN FOOD CHAIN Concerns Fueled by GENE-TRANSFER TECHNOLOGY ANIMAL WELFARE MARRIAGE OF SCIENCE AND BUSINESS AWSC

18. ETHICS IN FOOD CHAIN BOOKS BY SCIENTISTS VOICING CONCERN OVER NEGATIVE MOTIVES AND EFFECTS IN THEIIR FIELDS FAO EXPERT GROUP ON ETHICS AWSC

19. ETHICS KNOWING THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN GOOD AND EVIL AND CHOOSING TO DO THE GOOD SOCRATES AWSC

20. ETHICS TWO ESSENTIAL STAGES DEALING WITH INNOVATION DUE PROCESS EXAMINE OPTIONS, IDENTIFY AND EXAMINE IMPACTS AND RISKS FOR STAKEHOLDERS DECISION-MAKING TRANSPARENCY WITH WIN-WIN CONSEQUENCES AWSC

21. ORIGIN OF ETHICS IN EUROPEAN SOCIETY THE WEST THOUSAND YEARS OF JUDEO-CHRISTIAN STANDARDS IN PUBLIC AND PRIVATE AWSC

22. “GOLDEN RULE” HAS BEEN THE NORM Jesus TREAT OTHERS AS YOU WISH THEM TO TREAT YOU By extension to husbandry of natural resources, environment agriculture AWSC

23. ETHICS IN EUROPE THOUSAND YEARS OF JUDEO-CHRISTIAN STANDARDS IN PUBLIC AND PRIVATE NORTH AMERICA AUSTRALIA - NZ CULTURAL AND RELIGIOUS COLONIES OF EUROPE JUDEO-CHRISTIAN STANDARDS AWSC

24. DO YOUR OWN ETHICS Smorgasbord Ethics Serious implications for public decision-making Floating, relative morals may be OK in private Which standards in public ??? AWSC

25. A MAJOR SHIFT IN NORMS OF WESTERN SOCIETY God gone from market place Morality now seen as private Dilemma: Do nothing Call for voluntary ethical standards Legislate ethically based standards AWSC

26. ETHICS IN LIVESTOCK PUBLIC DILEMMA OVER TREATMENT OF LIVESTOCK ANIMAL RIGHTS ANIMAL WELFARE FOOD SAFETY HEALTH AWSC

27. SPECIES: TWO POSITIONS Identification with sentient species Restraint needed in treatment of livestock Dumb animals unable to express pain (Animal rights ? ) No identification H. sapiens is different Leads to two positions: Exploitation or Stewardship (Animal welfare ?) AWSC

28. SPECIES ARGUMENT Identification position Species have intrinsic rights Encouraged by new freedoms for minorities and subsets Slaves Women Minority Ethnic Groups Sexual Preferences AWSC

29. SPECIES: NO IDENTIFICATION Humans are humans: animals are animals Humans are superior species Dumb and incapacitated humans are cared for This position brings ethics, not rights, into the equation TWO PATHS No ethics leads to continued intensification With ethics – how to define public boundaries in society where ethics are now private WHERE TO DRAW THE LINE ? AWSC

30. ETHICS IN LIVESTOCK PUBLIC DILEMMA CASE OF MOLECULAR GENETICS WHERE TO DRAW THE LINE ? AWSC

31. TRADITIONAL LIVESTOCK PRODUCTION CHANGES IN LAST 50 YEARS ECONOMIC EFFICIENCY Higher throughput in time and space Return on capital Reduced labour WHERE TO DRAW THE LINE ? AWSC

32. TRADITIONAL LIVESTOCK PRODUCTION CHANGES IN LAST 50 YEARS BIOLOGICAL EFFICIENCY: Prolificacy Mortality Genetic gain Nutrition costs Conversion rate Ratio edible to inedible Uniformity Time conception to market WHERE TO DRAW THE LINE ? AWSC

33. Molecular biology challenges the way we view animals Human Genome Project shows major physical matching If molecular boundaries of humans and animals are minimal…. Why is Homo sapiens different? AWSC

34. Molecular biology gives unprecedented power to the human species over animals The current batch of techniques will lead to an endless vista of options for engineering animals WHAT ETHICS SHALL WE USE ? WHERE TO DRAW THE LINE ? AWSC

35. Molecular biology challenges the way we view ourselves WHAT DOES IT MEAN TO BE HUMAN ? Takes us back to our moral origin and nature Civilization, community, law, Acceptable and unacceptable behaviour, Sanctions Accountability, transparency, Sustainability Instinct versus moral freedom to choose AWSC

36. Unprecedented power over all other species What will happen to Homo sapiens as we behave like the Top Animal Species ? AWSC

37. Future scenario of intensive livestock production Current techniques lead to vista of options for engineering animals Remove unnecessary parts Legs, feathers, beaks, eyes, ears, Pigs with genes for beef muscle Meat sheep with no wool Quail without legs laying chicken eggs Thinned animals skin WHAT ETHICS SHALL WE USE ? WHERE TO DRAW THE LINE ? AWSC

38. Feed line to supply nutrient with hormones, enzymes etc Blood line from specialist animals providing perfect time for market Fish genes removing need for heating Maintenance costs reduced Reproduction redesigned Animals gender neutral Duplicate genes from old male or female lines Embryos grown in artificial uterus WHAT ETHICS SHALL WE USE ? WHERE TO DRAW THE LINE ? AWSC

39. BASIC ANIMAL FRAMEWORK No species – template Head, brain, for neural control no eyes, ears mouth No rumen, simple digestive tract Stem cells added for products Meat harvested WHAT ETHICS SHALL WE USE ? WHERE TO DRAW THE LINE ? AWSC

40. FANTASY ? Simply - extension of reductionist values without ethical limit WHAT ETHICS SHALL WE USE ? Utilitarian – Shareholder profit WHERE TO DRAW THE LINE ? AWSC

41. WHO WILL DECIDE THE ETHICS OF ANIMAL PRODUCTION ? AT WHAT POINT SHALL WE STOP ? OR BE STOPPED ? BY WHOM ? AND WHEN ? WHERE TO DRAW THE LINE ? AWSC

42. WITHOUT ETHICS WE RETURN TO THE BARBARIC LIFE OF NATURE RED IN TOOTH AND CLAW WE CEASE BEING HUMAN AND ARE MERELY TOP SPECIES WHERE TO DRAW THE LINE ? AWSC

43. THEN WE INEVITABLY TURN UPON OTHER DEFENCELESS AND UNPRODUCTIVE INDIVIDUALS WITHIN OUR OWN SPECIES EUTHANASIA Unproductive people or Uncooperative people Eugenics & Reproductive control WHERE TO DRAW THE LINE ? AWSC

44. ANCIENT AND RELIGIOUS WISEMEN KNOW THAT ETHICS DETERMINES THE NATURE OF HUMAN COMMUNITIES ETHICS – KNOWING GOOD AND EVIL AND CHOOSING GOOD NO ETHICS – NO COMMUNITY ETHICS DEFINES HUMANITY WHERE TO DRAW THE LINE ? AWSC

45. BOUNDARY SEPARATING MANKIND FROM OTHER SPECIES CARRIES RESPONSIBILITIES FOR COMMUNITY OF ALL OF LIFE AWARENESS OF TRANSCENDENT IS BASIS OF ETHICS AND COMMUNITY AND MAKES US HUMAN WHERE TO DRAW THE LINE ? AWSC

46. OUR DECISION ABOUT LIVESTOCK WILL DEFINE OUR OWN FUTURE & OUR COMMUNITIES AND OUR IDENTITY AS HUMANS AWARENESS OF TRANSCENDENT IS BASIS OF ETHICS AND COMMUNITY AND MAKES US HUMAN WHERE TO DRAW THE LINE ? AWSC

47. “It is dangerous to show man too clearly how much he resembles the beast without at the same time showing him his greatness It is also dangerous to allow him too clear a vision of his greatness without his baseness. It is even more dangerous to leave him in ignorance of both. But it is very profitable to show him both”. Blaise Pascal, 1623-62. AWSC