Day 113 - 03 Apr 95 - Page 63


     
     1        years ago, and I think there were about 14 per cent.  That
     2        was in pigs' kidneys.
     3
     4   Q.   Is that an acute reaction or a chronic reaction?
     5        A.  In human beings it is an acute reaction.  So that is a
     6        case where there may be confusion that farmers will often
     7        regard these sulphur drugs which are so widely used as
     8        growth promoters.  They do not use the word "antibiotics",
     9        so I would want to know when I was investigating this
    10        exactly what growth promoters and drugs were being used.  A
    11        similar drug is actually used for calves.
    12
    13   Q.   Maybe we will check that overnight as well.  I want to
    14        clarify the pain for the castration caused by castration.
    15        How long does that last for, can that last for?
    16        A.  It can last several days when the pig is obviously
    17        uncomfortable in that region.  In other words.  It cannot
    18        walk properly.
    19
    20   Q.   What about the pain associated with, I am talking about
    21        animals biting each other, I think you referred to tail
    22        docking as well.  Can you just go into what the welfare
    23        concerns are about that?
    24        A.  Welfare concerns are that it is -- there are nerves
    25        there and a strong view has been taken both over the
    26        docking of pigs' tails and dogs' tails, that it is an
    27        unnecessary mutilation.  It should be with good care quite
    28        unnecessary to do it.  It deprives the animals of, if you
    29        like, a vital organ -- it is something important to them --
    30        and it is classified as an unnecessary mutilation.
    31
    32        There might be another mutilation which you might have in
    33        mind is teeth clipping.  The teeth of newly born piglets
    34        are very sharp and some farmers will cut them off,
    35        sometimes break the tooth, and this is a cause for
    36        concern.  With these very large -----
    37
    38   Q.   Why is it a cause for concern?
    39        A.  It is a cause for concern because that again is a
    40        possible source of infection in the mouth because it causes
    41        bleeding and it causes injury to the gum.
    42
    43   Q.   Does it cause any discomfort or pain?
    44        A.  Yes, it would.
    45
    46   Q.   You will have to say because otherwise -----
    47        A.  Yes, I am sorry.  Yes, I mean, I assume that if it
    48        causes bleeding and it causes that sort of difficulty it
    49        would cause pain, but it is done largely because with such
    50        a large environment/index.html">litter, the piglets will tear -- the teeth tear the 
    51        udder.  This happens on some farms.  Again, it is because 
    52        all the time the commercial interests are driving the pigs 
    53        to really travesties that are more bred for meatiness than
    54        pigginess, so they are not good mothers.  They are only
    55        good mothers in the sense they produce lots of piglets.
    56
    57        A welfare idea has been that it might be better to grind
    58        the teeth down rather than cut them off, but that issue has
    59        not been resolved.
    60

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