Perdue Farms is a company that mass produces poultry for mass consumption in the US. The company operates factory farms where it contracts farmers to keep chicken under their regulations. Therefore, Perdue supplies the chicks, feeds, veterinary care and controls every aspect of production. The company has been criticized for the inhumane treatment of animals on these factory farms and slaughterhouses ( Fieser, 2015) . This includes rearing birds under stress by depriving them off light, water, and food for long as well as pumping them with growth hormones that make them too large for their bodies to handle thus breaking their already weak legs. In slaughterhouses, birds are hung from the ankle and may at times be put in feather-removal tanks when still conscious ( Alfie, 2010) . This raises a question of moral responsibility and the role that humans have in the protection of non-human organisms and whether it is okay to view them as a means to an end and thus treat them in the way that best maximizes profit.
The US has a mixed economy which has both characteristics of a free market but is also affected by planned economic control through government involvement in regulating the market. The government does this through taxation, legislation, incentives, regulation and controlling service either wholly or partially. The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) is responsible for regulating animal food production and slaughter industries ( Fieser, 2015) . However, its mandate does not involve monitoring standards of care faced by animals. One of its most active sub-agencies is the Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) which regulates genetically engineered animals and administers the Animal Care Program (ACP). The ACP oversees food safety inspection in farms and slaughterhouses ( National Humane Education Society, 2017) . However, due to understaffing, the USDA only inspects a small portion of animals before slaughter. Its regulations allow the processing of meat from injured and sick animals but do not include determining the cause of the injuries ( Fieser, 2015) .
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The above case shows how Perdue has disregarded moral responsibility in allowing the poor treatment of poultry. John Stuart Mill in his theory of utilitarianism talks about the purpose of morality being the maximization of pleasure and minimization of pain ( Fieser, 2015) . Regarding these animals, this company goes contrary to utilitarianism because even though it maximizes profit, it translates to maximum suffering to poultry making it immoral on these grounds to treat them this way. The fact that they can feel what is happening to them makes it even more unethical ( Vining, 2008) .
The government has the power to keep this from happening due to their regulatory power. Through the principles of government coercion, Mill says that the only justifiable one is the harm principle where the government should endeavor to ensure that the actions of any one actor do not in any way harm others ( Fieser, 2015) . The government has failed to prevent the cruel treatment of farm animals. Since we breed poultry and give them no choice of free existence, the least we can do is treat them with dignity and make their short lives as pleasurable as possible. The USDA can, therefore, formulate laws that regulate the conditions of living and treatment for animals in farms, transit, and slaughterhouses. Laws that criminalize the abuse of animals with liability to the individual perpetrators as well as the business entity should also be included ( Vining, 2008) .
References
Alfie A. (2010, November 22). Meet your meat (Links to an external site.)Links to an external site. [Video file]. Retrieved from https://youtu.be/32IDVdgmzKA
Fieser, J. (2015). Introduction to business ethics [Electronic version]. Retrieved from https://content.ashford.edu/
National Humane Education Society. (2017). Government Regulation of Factory Farms. Retrieved from https://nhes.org/3372-2/
Vining, J. (2008, October 10). Animal cruelty laws and factory farming (Links to an external site.)Links to an external site. . Michigan Law Review First Impressions, 106 (5), 123-127. Retrieved from http://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=1282251
