Day 096 - 03 Mar 95 - Page 39
1 be more awkward and then one would have to use it. That is
2 as it was.
3
4 MR. MORRIS: So if 50 pigs go on the truck, 10 of them will go
5 on without any coaxing at all, the other 40 would have to
6 be encouraged with the goad, basically?
7 A. Not necessarily. They vary -----
8
9 Q. What would it average out at, something like two-thirds of
10 the pigs, half the pigs -----
11
12 MR. JUSTICE BELL: I am going to stop you there because I have
13 to use my own judgment. I do not know how anyone could
14 possibly say -- I can imagine you get three lorry loads
15 where you do not use the goad at all ---
16 A. Correct.
17
18 Q. -- and then you get a lorry load with a lot of pigs who are
19 having a surly day, and you have to use it quite often?
20 A. Absolutely right, sir.
21
22 MS. STEEL: Then you might get another four lorry loads where
23 you have to use the goads on all of them?
24 A. You would never, never, never, never, never use them on
25 all of them.
26
27 Q. No, on every load of pigs?
28 A. That could have been a possibility, if you had, you
29 know, some awkward pigs, one load after another. Of course
30 that is a possibility.
31
32 Q. Why did you ban goads?
33 A. Why did we ban goads? It was -- we had quite in-depth
34 study ourselves with the Meat Research Institute at Bristol
35 and Dr. Jane Guyes on looking at other methods, if we could
36 load pigs without the use of goads. Eventually, we have
37 come to the conclusion that we would because we felt that
38 consumer awareness was sensitive and if we could manage to
39 load our pigs without, we should.
40
41 Q. So this was something that was a result of consumer
42 pressure then?
43 A. No, consumer awareness.
44
45 Q. Right.
46 A. Also -----
47
48 Q. But, presumably, you thought that the consumers were going
49 to have some effect on the market?
50 A. If I could finish please? Also, with us having
51 veterinarians involvement as well, we sought their advice
52 also on it. We have come up to ways of driving pigs in the
53 plant with water, and we have insisted on our drivers who
54 collect the pigs on only using boards. And I can assure
55 you, our production has dropped. We had to accept there
56 would be a roughly 20 per cent drop in production for the
57 sake of the animal.
58
59 Q. So has that affected the slaughter line then?
60 A. No.
