Page 86 - Summer2008

NAIS Update

2008 MEETING OF THE NATIONAL INSTITUTE FOR ANIMAL AGRICULTURE:
NAIS SLINKS FORWARD
By Karin Beringer

The 2008 annual meeting of the National we abhor, it’s interesting to examine his message:
Institute for Animal Agriculture (NIAA), in the “animal agriculture” industry is missing the
Indianapolis, Indiana, April 1st to 3rd, revealed animal rights movement message. This message
Big Ag’s and USDA’s plans for implementing is that ethical decisions are more important than
the National Animal Identification System so-called scienti c or pro t justi cations for
(NAIS). the industry’s methods. I caught him after his
The meeting pointed out a seminal problem speech, and explained I mostly worked with
with the pro-NAIS community: an inability to small operators running sustainable or organic
comprehend the fact that some people view the operations. Imagine my surprise when he said,
world differently, and that those people can and “Well, then, they own this issue!”
will exert control over Big Ag, and its conne- So what are the animal industry people

ment animal production methods, whether Big missing, that we own? And how can it apply to
Ag likes it or not, based on moral principles.  ghting NAIS? Let’s look at Kohlberg’s ethical
Big Ag’s failure to comprehend and respond to hierarchy. Kohlberg proposed six stages of moral
ethical challenges is what gives farmers in the development:
sustainable and organic agriculture community
the edge—and what can lead us to win against 1. Naïve moral realism, where your motivation
NAIS. is primarily not getting punished (you steal
Big Ag’s the cookie and hope not to get caught).
failure to BIG AG’S NEXT ETHICAL CHALLENGE 2. Pragmatic morality, where actions are
The rst two days of the NIAA meeting

comprehend focused on the way NIAA members raise and based on maximizing reward, for example,
making money, and minimizing negative
and respond treat livestock and how the animal rights move- consequences.
to ethical ment is challenging them. Four speakers started 3. Socially shared perspectives—your actions
challenges is off by tracing the history of the animal rights are based on approval or disapproval from
others.
movement and outlining the factors that make it
what gives continue to grow. One speaker stated that only 2 4. Social system morality, where actions are
farmers in the percent of the population is truly vegetarian. All based on anticipating formal dishonor and

sustainable the speakers pointed out, though, that the other guilt over doing harm to others.
98 percent, while eating meat, expect animals 5. You are driven by human rights and social
and organic to be treated essentially the way they treat their welfare morality—you act based on what
agriculture pets. you view as the values and rights that ought
Charles Arnot, a well known pork industry
community consultant, spoke about Lawrence Kohlberg’s to exist in society, because you want to
maintain community and self-respect.
the edge— ethical hierarchy and how it applied to livestock 6. Universal ethical principles—you expect all
and what can handling. Even into the evening after his presen- people to act based on a moral view of all
lead us to win tation, the attendees were discussing his speech. human beings and your actions are deter-
Putting aside the fact that Arnot is deeply identi-
mined based on their fairness, equity, and
against NAIS. ed with the vertically integrated pork industry concern for maintaining moral principles.

84 Wise Traditions SUMMER 2008