Why farmers need professional autonomy

摘要

After the World War II the scale of agricultural production increased enormously but also caused problems for the environment and animal welfare. In reaction the concept of sustainability was introduced. To reach a sustainable agriculture all stakeholders have their own role in the discussion. The concept of 'professional autonomy' for farmers can be a tool for farmers to play this role. In this paper we redefine 'professional autonomy' as a political and ethical concept, aimed at giving farmers theroom they need to play their role in the moral debate in society. There suggests to be good reasons why farmers should claim professional autonomy. The core reason is that farmers are members of a profession. Members of a profession have to play a shaping role in the ethical discussions of society. Furthermore, farmers seems to have their own 'farmers' morality' that may have an important input in the public discussion. To play their role in the discussion, farmers, as members of a profession, cannot bebound by too strict ethical protocols as this would eliminate their ability to create new insights, which are needed as input to the debate. This illustrates the importance of professional autonomy. Whether farmers are allotted autonomy by society depends on future developments like making a farmer's morality explicit and the development of a code of conduct. If it can be justified, the allotment of professional autonomy will enhance and shape the Voice' of the farmers in the public discussion and increase the quality of the debate.