Applied Animal Ethics in Industrial Food Animal Production: Exploring the Role of the Veterinarian

SIMPLE SUMMARY: Current systems for raising food animals are largely geared to produce large quantities of meat, milk, and eggs, at a low cost to the consumer. There are many ethical challenges associated with these methods, which can result in poor animal welfare and animal suffering. The veterinarian is often undecided as to whom they owe their responsibilities—to the farmer, who pays for their services, or to the animals, who require their advocacy to improve conditions. Historically, veterinarians have focused on enhancing animal health, and have left the ethical debate to others. With increasing consumer attention to animal welfare issues and a global drive to ensure long-term solutions for the planet’s health, it is imperative that veterinarians become more engaged in these ethical discussions. Several examples are provided for considering approaches to some food animal welfare problems. ABSTRACT: Industrial food animal production practices are efficient for producing large quantities of milk, meat, and eggs for a growing global population, but often result in the need to alter animals to fit a more restricted environment, as well as creating new animal welfare and health problems related to animal confinement in high densities. These practices and methods have become normalized, to the extent that veterinarians and others embedded in these industries rarely question the ethical challenges associated with raising animals in this fashion. Moral ‘lock-in’ is common with those working in food animal industries, as is the feeling that it is impossible to effect meaningful change. Animal welfare issues associated with the industrialization of food animal production are ‘wicked problems’ that require a multi- and transdisciplinary approach. We argue that veterinarians, as expert animal health and welfare advocates, should be critical stakeholders and leaders in discussions with producers and the food animal sector, to look for innovative solutions and technology that will address current and future global sustainability and food security needs. Solutions will necessarily be different in different countries and regions, but ethical issues associated with industrial food animal production practices are universal.