Day 066 - 14 Dec 94 - Page 58
1 attention; if you know you have a white breed, then you
2 should take some extra precautions.
3
4 Q. In the pig farms which you have visited in different parts
5 of the world, were there any in which there were
6 insufficient means of protecting the pigs from sunburn?
7 A. No, I have not seen that.
8
9 Q. What is the preferred method of stunning pigs in the
10 slaughterhouse in the USA?
11 A. Electric.
12
13 Q. How is that done?
14 A. It is done with two electrodes that are applied to the
15 back of the neck and then to do the initial shock. Then,
16 usually, they move the electrodes forward so that the
17 current goes to the brain.
18
19 Q. Are the pigs given a heart attack, cardiac arrest, by the
20 current that is applied to them or not?
21 A. If it is done properly, no.
22
23 Q. Are the amounts of current which are used in any sense
24 governed or regulated by Federal regulations or guidelines?
25 A. Yes, they are.
26
27 Q. I take it you have visited a number of pig slaughterhouses?
28 A. Yes, I have.
29
30 Q. In different parts of the world?
31 A. Yes, I have.
32
33 Q. So far as McDonald's standards are concerned, how often
34 have you come across one that did not come up to scratch,
35 did not come up to standard?
36 A. Not very often, and I might add that we do not -- in
37 many countries we do not have -- we do not have pork
38 products on our menu.
39
40 Q. I know that. Pork, as compared with beef and chicken, is a
41 minor player in the McDonald's arena?
42 A. Yes, it is. We only have pork products in countries
43 where we serve breakfast and there is only a very limited
44 countries where we serve breakfast.
45
46 Q. Where electric stunning is used and is regulated by actual
47 law or by guidelines, who is responsible for seeing that
48 the correct current is used?
49 A. The people at the plant are always ultimately
50 responsible.
51
52 Q. Yes. Will the current then be tested by the local vet?
53 A. I have not seen it done, but it is part of his
54 responsibility.
55
56 Q. I cannot show you a plan of a pig slaughtering
57 establishment, but I can ask you this: Did you read the
58 report prepared by Dr. Neville Gregory (now Professor
59 Gregory) on behalf of McDonald's in this case?
60 A. Yes, I did.
