Day 097 - 06 Mar 95 - Page 74


     
     1        the dirt with a pressurized spray you would make an aerosol
     2        of the bacteria that are there and spread them around.  So
     3        what we try to do where we do have instances of
     4        contamination is to trim that off.
     5
     6   Q.   You mean visible contamination?
     7        A.  Yes.
     8
     9   Q.   Bit a of dung smeared on the outside of the meat?
    10        A.  Yes.
    11
    12   Q.   To what extent, if any, are you conscious of any risk that
    13        at the stage before the meat is processed contamination
    14        can, as it were, penetrate the surface of the meat?
    15        A.  I mean, bacteria being very small things you do get an
    16        ingress.  I think you can get an ingress.  I am not too
    17        familiar with that.
    18
    19   Q.   Into a joint or a split or something like that?
    20        A.  Yes.
    21
    22   Q.   If you keep your water to a minimum as you just said, what
    23        means can you use to ensure reduction or minimisation of
    24        contamination inside the slaughter hall?
    25        A.  Training of the staff.
    26
    27   Q.   What are they trained to do or not to do?
    28        A.  Keep themselves and their implements clean, sterilizing
    29        between animals.
    30
    31   Q.   There are two possible sources of contamination, are there
    32        not? There is the actual animal itself?
    33        A.  Yes.
    34
    35   Q.   From the interior of the animal, perhaps from stuff that
    36        has come in on it, and then the risk from the environment,
    37        it might be the humans, it might be the surfaces, it might
    38        be the implements?
    39        A.  Sure, yes.  One thing we do is every employee has an
    40        environmental health officer's certificate in food hygiene
    41        which is an examination they are required to sit.  This has
    42        been geared specifically towards our operation rather than
    43        a generic one which restaurants and cafes seem to use.  We
    44        are trying to make people aware of the problems.  There are
    45        various checks carried out after cleaning and during the
    46        processing or will be to ensure that the process is as
    47        hygienic as possible.
    48
    49   MR. JUSTICE BELL:  Mr. Rampton, I may have misunderstood
    50        something earlier when Mr. Chambers was talking about 
    51        washing and sterilizing implements and washing hands 
    52        between animals.  I had understood that he was referring to 
    53        a case where it could be seen that there had been
    54        contamination.  Was that right or were you saying it is
    55        done between one animal and the next anyway?
    56        A.  We encourage it to done between one animal and the next
    57        anyway.
    58
    59   MR. RAMPTON:  My Lordship is quite right there.  We started off
    60        with the case of one animal or maybe a piece of a carcass

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