Title: Explore contemporary ethical issues related to the livestock industry.
Course: Livestock Production Management (18301-II) > Section: Raising and Managing Livestock

Exploration may include issues such as

- use of hormones in livestock production
- animal welfare
  - confinement systems (e.g., gestation crates, battery cages)
  - painful procedures without analgesia (e.g., castration, dehorning, tail docking)
  - transportation and slaughter practices (e.g., humane handling, reducing stress)
- antibiotic use and antimicrobial resistance
- environmental effects
  - greenhouse gas emissions from livestock (methane from ruminants)
  - land degradation, deforestation for grazing or feed crops
  - water usage and pollution from manure runoff
- sustainability and resource allocation
- genetic engineering and breeding
- labor and social justice
- transparency and consumer rights, including labeling issues (e.g., grass-fed, organic, hormone-free)
- solar grazing with sheep and/or goats
- unintended consequences of interventions
- other consumer concerns.

Process/Skill Questions:

- What are the benefits of solar grazing?
- What are examples of current consumer concerns related to livestock?
- How can some interventions result in unintended consequences? What are some examples?