Thanks for posting Jim.  When I went to work for Farmland my boss said that farmers were the most dishonest people in the world.  I took offense at that, having been raised to be honest.  Frankly I came to see what he was talking about if you only look at some individuals.  This thread suggests some who neglect their responsibility, trying to pass it on to others.  I read "realistic" a lot, which seems to mean "my bottom line" and "as I see it" is all that matters.  "Just don't get caught, especially twice" simply does not pass the muster for a responsible industry, though I suspect it is common place in all of industry.

If we have to try to slip sick animals into the food chain for the sake of our bottom line, or if we cannot tell that they are sick, then we probably should not be in management positions.  The same applies to following medication directions and keeping adequate records.

And yes, some farmers are not the only dishonest people.  As quality control specialist of a feed mill I was responsible for daily tracking of medication added to feed.  I was looked upon as a fool by some for record decrepencies.  We weighed all drug additives daily and I hated to be gone because the bosses #1 man handled my responsibilities.  He told me if we had more than the records indicated we should have, simply trashcan the excess.  If we were short, soybean meal was a good neutral substitute to bring the weight back up.

Honesty and Integrity are precious.  Without them, nothing can save a reputation for very long.