Animal Cruelty Laws and Factory Farming

Abstract

Should laws criminalizing animal abuse apply to animals raised for food? The answer is yes, and yes especially because farm animals are generally now under the control of business corporations. State and federal criminal law have proved critical in modifying corporate policy and practice in other areas, a current example being worker safety. Criminal liability today would include criminal liability of the corporate entity itself, and would thus also introduce the most effective regulation of individual handling of farm animals - regulation by the corporation, which has methods and resources public agencies cannot match.

Keywords: American Law Institute, Principles of Corporate Governance, corporations, corporate law, profit maximization, business schools, cost-benefit analysis, criminal law, corporate criminality, corporate mens rea, corporate sentencing, corporate probation, corporate compliance programs, good faith

JEL Classification: G18, G30, G38, G39, J50, K14, K42, N50, Q12