Implementation of ethical standards in a cattle improvement company

Cattle breeding demands a wide range of skills and competencies. Traditionally, companies have addressed breeding as a technical challenge. However, it equally raises a variety of fundamental, moral questions. This is further complicated as cattle breeding is currently a global activity. Consequently, local ethics are confronted with global issues and vice versa. CRV, as one of the main players in cattle improvement, recognised this and started a process of implementing ethical reflection into its organisation. This implementation is part of a process that is a direct result of two developments. Firstly, the rapid international expansion of CRV resulted in a growing need for clarity concerning CRV's ethical standards and moral values, as all parts of the organisation operate under the CRV-brand, but with ethical standards that differ locally. Secondly, as CRV's main focus is animal breeding and due to its involvement in research into and the application of biotechnology, internal and external stakeholders desire clarity and transparency concerning the company's ethical standards. To clarify its own values, CRV started a process of defining ethical standards and values. As one of the first steps CRV joined EFFAB (European Forum of Farms Animal Breeders), which resulted-together with scientists, the industry, animal welfare organisations, ethicists and economists - in the CODE-EFABAR. Secondly, CRV established an Ethics Committee as an advisory board to CRV's Executive Board. This Committee advises on ethical issues pertaining to CRV's activities and assists in shaping CRV's social responsibility. Thirdly, using input from the Ethics Committee, CODE-EFABAR, managers and employees, a new ethical conduct code was developed. This code of ethics was implemented by issuing an 'ethics passport' to each employee in a number of sessions which presented and discussed the organisation's core values. The 'ethics passport' not only presents CRV's corporate ethical standards and values, but explicitly attempts to translate these values into the daily activities of its employees. This translation and emphasis on daily activities aims to make individuals aware of their role in the company's ethical behaviour. This short paper elaborates on the company's process of dealing with the ethical dimensions of cattle breeding in a global market and presents some of the challenges and dilemmas CRV faced while explicating and implementing its core values and principles.