Day 066 - 14 Dec 94 - Page 70


     
     1        in Europe, as you probably know, but what about other parts
     2        of the world?
     3        A.  It is allowed in most of the countries, including the
     4        US.
     5
     6   Q.   How are these growth promoting hormones administered to the
     7        animal?
     8        A.  Implants in the back of the ear, yes.
     9
    10   Q.   They are sort of slow released?
    11        A.  It is a slow release hormone, yes.
    12
    13   Q.   Have you studied the question of whether any residues of
    14        antibiotics or growth promoting hormones or both which may
    15        be found in the meat of animals consumed by humans, let us
    16        take the United States, have any implications for human
    17        health, have you studied that question?
    18        A.  Yes, I have studied that quite extensively.
    19
    20   Q.   What is your conclusion?
    21        A.  That there is no traceable effect to humans; humans
    22        will not be affected in any shape or form or there is no
    23        scientific data that will support that there is any type of
    24        detrimental effect to humans.
    25
    26   Q.   I want to come back to broilers and take them through to
    27        the point at which they are killed.  When their growing
    28        period has finished in the growing house they have to be
    29        transported to the slaughterhouse.  We know how that is
    30        done in this country, but I would like you to tell us,
    31        broadly speaking, how it is done in the rest of the world.
    32        First of all, how are the chickens, by what method are the
    33        chickens removed from the growing house and put on to
    34        whatever kind of transport they are going to use?
    35        A.  From the growing houses, and it is usually done at
    36        night, there are some people that would go around the house
    37        picking up the birds.  They will be then transported to
    38        cages and those cages will be loaded into a truck.  Then
    39        the animals will be transported and will arrive at the
    40        abattoirs where they will be, normally if it is hot, under
    41        cover with fans and sometimes humidifiers too.
    42
    43   Q.   Before we get to what happens next, which part of the body
    44        do the people that come at night pick up the chickens by?
    45        A.  They pick them up by the legs.
    46
    47   Q.   To what extent, in your experience, does that tend to cause
    48        injury to the chickens?
    49        A.  Very small.  Very small.
    50 
    51   Q.   How far, in your experience, is it the case that chickens 
    52        when they have been transported to the slaughterhouse are 
    53        found to be dead on arrival?
    54        A.  Usually it could be 1 or 2 per cent of the birds will
    55        be.
    56
    57   Q.   What are the commonest causes of death in transit?
    58        A.  It could be suffocation.  If one chick will get on top
    59        of the other it could be suffocated.  They could have
    60        internal injuries and, really, sometimes they bleed to

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