Applied Ethics in
Agriculture
Sociology/Economics 362
Paul Lasley and Arne Hallam
Fall 2011
“Character is not the same thing as reputation.
Character is what you are. Reputation is
what people say you are.” Josephson, 2002
How do you decide what to do?
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Is it good or bad?
Right or wrong?
Important or not important?
Fair or unfair?
Something that brings honor or disgrace?
Hurts or helps others?
Where did you learn these values about:
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Good or bad
Right or wrong
Important or not important
Fair or unfair
Honor or disgrace
Hurts or helps others
Sources of values
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Parents
Friends
Colleagues
Church/religion
School
Organizations or clubs
Others
Ethics:
• Refers to principles that define behavior as
right, good and proper
• Are about putting principles into action
Josephson, 2002
Ethics
• ethics refers to well-founded standards of right
and wrong that prescribe what humans ought to
do, usually in terms of rights, obligations,
benefits to society, fairness, or specific virtues.
• ethics refers to the study and development of
one's ethical standards.
http://www.scu.edu/ethics/practicing/decision/whatisethics.html
….feelings, laws, and social norms can deviate from what
is ethical. So it is necessary to constantly examine one's
standards to ensure that they are reasonable and wellfounded. Ethics also means, then, the continuous effort of
studying our own moral beliefs and our moral conduct, and
striving to ensure that we, and the institutions we help to
shape, live up to standards that are reasonable and solidlybased.
http://www.scu.edu/ethics/practicing/decision/whatisethics.html
Many moral philosophers, social scientists,
theologians and others have addressed the
nature of human nature
1. One view is that humans in their natural
state are hedonistic, selfish, uncaring,
greedy, etc and rules/laws are needed to
rein in our natural propensities
2. Second view is that humans are
generally good and should be left
unfettered, that good will emerge from
their individual decisions.
Naturally GOOD or Naturally BAD
This is the Nature vs Nurture debate
In this course we will examine major ethical
perspectives. Each of these perspectives
offers insights into what people view as
ethical and how it shapes their decisions
and actions
In a study of farm cooperatives we found
several instances of ethical lapses:
•Shirking responsibilities
•Business dealings with friends, relatives,
or competitors
•Sales incentives
•Pricing policies
•Illegal Practices
Reasons given for unethical behavior
•Extreme pressure to show a profit
•No board oversight on management
•Too much competition that it is unhealthy
•Business is too complex for a lay board
•Fewer farmers, greater business, more
incentive to retain them as members
•Young farmers lack appreciation of
cooperatives
•Tough economic times on the farm contributed
to erosion in ethical standards.
Do you suppose that farmers agree that
ethics have declined among farmers?
Can you provide examples?
What Iowa Farmers Told Us
(2002 Farm Poll, n=1942)
•At one time a person’s word was as good
as a signed contract; now you must get it
in writing. 93% somewhat or strongly
agreed
•In general, ethical standards in society
have declined. 87% agreed
What farmers told us
•I used to take a person’s word as measure of
his/her honor, but now-a-days you can’t always
simply accept what a person tells you. 85%
agreed.
•One reason ethical standards have declined is
that people have lost respect for authority. 70%
agreed
•Often people admit they are not being ethical
in paying the full amount of their taxes. 49%
agreed.
What farmers told us
•Even among friends and neighbors, I am
concerned that they no longer feel obliged
to honor their word. 37% agreed
•Farmer’s ethical standards have
declined. 57% agreed
The widespread decline
•Where are ethical lapses most
recognized?
How have ethics changed?
–Clergy
–Neighbors
–Local Merchants
–Local Agribusiness
–Lenders
–Farmers
–Youth and young adults
–Local elected officials
–Elected state officials
–% Decline in past 10 years
24%
31
36
37
41
45
68
70
72
Some guides to determine
if an action is ethical
1. The Golden Rule, “You act in a way
that you would expect others to act
toward you”
2. The Professional Ethic, “You take
only those actions that would be
viewed as proper by an objective
panel of your professional peers”
Some guides to determine
if an action is ethical
3. Kant's Categorical Imperative, “Ask
yourself, “what if everyone behaved this
way?”
4. Child on Your Shoulder, “Would you
proudly make the same decision if your
young child were witnessing your choice?”
5. TV Test, Could you explain and justify
your actions to general television
audience?”
Some guides to determine
if an action is ethical
6. The Des Moines Register Test, “Would you
like your friends and neighbors to read about
this?”
7. The How will it Affect Me Test. “What does it
do for me? What does it do to me? “What will
I think of myself?”
Four simple questions
•Could you or someone else suffer physical
harm?
•Could you or someone else suffer emotional
pain?
•Could the decision hurt your reputation,
undermine your credibility, or damage important
relationships?
•Could the decision impede the achievement of
any important goal?
What happens when there is not
adherence to a code of ethics?
•People begin to “cut corners”
–Most unethical and illegal activities start small
•Rationale or justifications often include,
everyone else is doing it
•Erosion in ethics brings about greater
regulation because trust has been violated
•Rules, regulations and laws reflect the
formalization of ethics
Erosion in Ethics=Distrustful Culture
•Where people no longer trust each other
•Where extreme individualism is primary
•Where people no longer know each other
•With diminished respect, trust and
cooperation, there are calls for regulations
to monitor or regulate behaviours/actions
Symptoms of Distrust in Agriculture
•Legal representation
•Formalized contracts
•Fear of Liability—liability insurance
•Less personal contact—fear of strangers
•Formal communication
•Suspiciousness
Need to Emphasize Ethics in Farming
•What would a professional code of ethics
in farming look like?
•Who should take the lead in drafting such
a document, and how it could be used?
The Need for a Code of Ethics in Farming
•Evidence is there has been an erosion in
ethics
•The erosion in ethics has contributed to
loss of trust, and consumer confidence,
and calls for more regulations.
•A code of ethics might restore confidence
and farming could be viewed a leader in
pursuing higher ethical standard.
CHALLENGE
•How can agricultural producers begin to
develop a code of ethics that would define
professional farmers and agribusiness.
•As future leaders in agriculture, the life
sciences, and business we hope this
course will contribute to your ability to
make ethical decisions.
Let’s get started