Respond to the two paragraphs below and answer Question use references 

Paragraph 1

Perdue is a U.S. based poultry processing company. It is self-supplied with their own distribution networks, food processing centers, cold storage, and export facilities (Perdue Farms Inc, 2016). Most Americans still enjoy a heavy meat diet, including poultry products distributed by Perdue, even though the Unite States Department of Agriculture (USDA) recommend a more fruit, vegetable, and whole grain diet. (Stathopoulos, 2010). This is because of very real, and very serious consumer safety risks associated with the meat. In the United States, Perdue operates in the mixed economy. A mixed economy contains elements of capitalism, in which an individual is free to start a business, but also elements of socialism, where the government regulates certain aspects of a business to ensure safe production and consumption of goods. (Fieser, 2015). Currently, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) along with USDA strictly regulate Perdue’s business. Since 2009, Perdue is required to undergo more frequent inspections of their processing plants. In 2011, Food Safety Modernization Act shifted focus from managing contamination to preventing it. (Perdue Farms Inc, 2016).

Perdue’s meat presents a real health risk to the consumer; it begins at factory level. Chickens are crammed in as tightly as possible, unable to freely roam or move around much, and are forced to squat throughout their lifespan. (CompassionUSA, 2014). This is done in order to maximize profit, which in itself is not unethical. What is unethical, from deontological standpoint, is the fact that the public is being deceived about how these chickens are being raised. The USDA certifies Perdue chicken, and claims that the process includes chickens being humanely raised. (CompassionUSA). When In reality, these chickens remain stationary, in their own excrement from the beginning to end of their lives. Another safety concern exists in the fact that chickens are fed antibiotics in order to keep them from getting sick and eventually dying. (O’Brien, 1997). Antibiotic play a crucial role in ridding a human body of bacteria. But there are good bacteria that we need to have in our bodies, such as bacteria which helps in our digestive process. Exterminating good bacteria could make us more susceptible to viral infections. Eventually our bodies could develop a resistance to antibiotics, which presents a health risk in an event when we must rely on antibiotics to cure an illness. Condition of livestock at food farms are directly reflected on the quality of food we put in our mouth. (O’Brien, 1997). Farms are not being held accountable for the welfare of their chickens, and the meat is only tested for quality after animals are slaughtered. (Stathopoulos, 2010).

References

CompassionUSA. (2014, December 3). Chicken factory farmer speaks out. [Video file]. Retrieved from https://youtu.be/YE9l94b3x9U

Fieser, J. (2015). Introduction to business ethics [Electronic version]. Retrieved from https://content.ashford.edu/

O’Brien, T. (1997). Factory farming and human health. Retrieved from http://www2-ciwf.doteditor.net/includes/documents/cm_docs/2008/f/factory_farming_and_human_health_1997.pdf

Perdue Farms Inc. (2016). 1-21. Retrieved from http://eds.b.ebscohost.com.proxy-library.ashford.edu/eds/pdfviewer/pdfviewer?vid=2&sid=0919cf51-8d75-4d9d-a704-6d983a7e4b43%40pdc-v-sessmgr01

Stathopoulos, A. S. (2010). You are what your food eats: How regulation of factory farm conditions could improve human health and animal welfare alike. Legislation and Public Policy, 13, 407-444. Retrieved from http://www.nyujlpp.org/wp-content/uploads/2012/11/Anastasia-S.-Stathopoulos-You-Are-What-Your-Food-Eats-How-Regulation-of-Factory-Farm-Conditions-Could-Improve-Human-Health-and-Animal-Welfare-Alike.pdf

Paragraph 2

Perdue Chicken is one of the largest manufacturers of chicken products in the United States of America. Perdue Chicken is an organization that slaughters chickens and then works to distribute them throughout various locations that sell their products in America. Perdue Chicken is an organization that has been found to neglect the proper ethics in correlation with moral responsibility when producing chicken products. Perdue Chicken is an organization that is not using virtue ethics properly, and is trying to profit at all costs while neglecting the treatment of chickens within their facilities by using capitalistic principles. According to Wilce (2013) many individuals have been addressing the issues associated with poultry products and animals being killed in manners that are considered inhumane. She stated that Perdue Chicken products are commonly identified with labels that say that the chicken products have been “humanely raised” during the slaughtering process before they are sold in outlets that make profitability off chicken products. She wrote that many of the chickens within the Perdue Chicken facilities have been killed by being shackled fully conscious electrically shocked before being unconscious and stored in trucks under excessive temperatures. She also noted that many of the chickens are subject to eye disorders and deformities from selective breeding while being provided with no veterinary care.

     Animals such as chicken are being treated inhumanely in various circumstances. Although chicken products are used for purposes that can include entertainment, companionship and food, there certainly should be special obligations that should protect them from being treated terribly. Although chicken products are commonly consumed, they should be allowed if in a slaughtering facility to be killed without pain, and should receive the proper medical treatments and moral treatments when being housed in facilities such as Perdue Chicken facilities. The article titled “Federal Legislation and Regulation” (2017) states that the USDA and FDA are mainly associated with enforcing laws correlated with poultry products such as Chicken. The article has information stating that when President Obama took office, he announced a law banning the slaughter of adult cattle who are too sick or injured to walk. Then, Farm Sanctuary attempted to extend the rule to all livestock such as pigs and chicken, but the petition did not pass through (“Federal Legislation and Regulation”, 2017). In conclusion, there are in general laws that are too narrowly defined, so many animals are not protected by law from actions that would be considered to be inhumane by many (“Keiger, 2014). Therefore, organizations such as Perdue can be given more strict governmental regulation laws to prevent the negative practices associated with the production and distribution of chicken products. Animals as humans deserve to be treated fairly and should not have to suffer especially considering that many are used for the sole purpose of food consumption before death.

References:

Federal Legislation and Regulation. (2017). https://www.farmsanctuary.org/get-involved/federal-legislation/

Keiger, D. (2014). Who’s responsible for regulating the health impact of factory farms?. Retrieved from https://hub.jhu.edu/magazine/2014/summer/factory-farm-regulations/ (Links to an external site.)Links to an external site.

Wilce, R. (2013). Consumers Allege Perdue’s “Humane” Poultry Labels are “False and Deceptive”. Retrieved from https://www.prwatch.org/news/2013/04/12039/consumers-allege-perdues-humane-poultry-labels-are-false-and-deceptive

Questions

 What is it about animal life and our human interaction with them that merits these thoughts?  What is a human’s responsibility towards other creatures?  Is there any?