Day 018 - 26 Jul 94 - Page 78
1 A. Right. Over the past 10 years -- take that as a time
base -- I would say this is where there have been most
2 improvements in the case of poultry. It is not
necessarily, I think, to the credit of the Ministry of
3 Agriculture. I think it is more to the credit of the
OVS's in the plant. They have been more aware of the
4 pressures and knowledge that has been created about how to
improve stunning in slaughter. I think they have reacted
5 accordingly. They are very sensitive. I will give you
one example.
6
MR. MORRIS: Could you say what OVS is?
7 A. Official Veterinary Service.
8 MR. JUSTICE BELL: That is one of the local government ----
A. Correct. I will give you one example which I think
9 explains my point, and that is whereas about 10 years ago
I would be called in to a poultry slaughter house because
10 there was a problem with the welfare of the birds, it was
thought they were recovering consciousness, and in some
11 situations that was actually the case. Now I am called in
to poultry slaughter houses with the same complaint but,
12 in fact, the difference is that they are not actually
killing the birds at stunning. They are stunned but
13 people confuse stunning and killing; that is whether the
bird has a cardiac arrest at stunning or whether it is
14 actually insensible. So, they are looking for a bird that
comes out of the water bath stunned that is completely
15 relaxed. That is the criteria they are asking. The
criteria has been put upon them by some of the
16 supermarkets. Supermarkets regularly go round these
processing plants and they say, "I saw a bird twitch on
17 the line", and people get rather upset about it. I get
called in to that situation to arbitrate in a way, to give
18 a balanced view. Quite often it is because they are not
getting a cardiac arrest at stunning, whereas they think
19 in fact they might be conscious. That has happened on a
number of occasions.
20
Q. So some supermarkets want the birds they are supplied with
21 to be -- is it stun killed?
A. Well, they do not want to see any twitching or
22 anything which they might think is a conscious bird.
23 Q. Right.
A. Sometimes -- what I am saying is that is a
24 misinterpretation of the situation. It might be a final
gesture of the bird due to a physical activity which is
25 unrelated to consciousness.
26 Q. Is that a specification, though, of some supermarkets?
A. I do not know. I have never read supermarket
27 specification in the context of stunning and slaughter. I
do not know.
28
Q. Right. To move on to the rearing side of things, what
29 sort of recommendations and improvements have gone on on
that side of things?
30 A. About two years ago I think there was a report on
transportation, the FAWC report, Farm Animal Welfare
