Animals in Transition: On ethics and livestock farming

Abstract

Livestock farming is part of the dynamic discussion about the future of food. This paper argues that attention to the role and position of animals is essential in the discussion on sustainable development in the agricultural and food sector. Analyzing transitions in the agri-food sector from the perspective of animals contributes to finding different perspectives on the transition: e.g., on what the nature of the problem is, what values underlie the transition or how a problem can be best approached. Furthermore, it prevents that animals are overlooked in current food transitions, which is highly problematic given the strong arguments for acknowledging animals as having moral status whose role in transitions should be taken seriously for their own sake. Using an example about the transition towards circular agriculture this claim is further elaborated. Next, the paper shows the important but unclear role animal welfare plays in the discussions on the role and position of animals in transitions in the agri-food sector. I show why animal welfare can only function as a key concept in the discussion if one is aware of its limits. Based on the analysis, the paper concludes with a five step argument to broaden the scope of the ethics of livestock farming and to use a more integrated approach that starts in a moral vocabulary that is broader that animal welfare, that include more than the participation of experts and builds on interdisciplinary work from animal science, veterinary science, social science and ethics.