Day 066 - 14 Dec 94 - Page 29


     
     1        A.  OK.
     2
     3   Q.   Using whatever graphic means you may choose?
     4        A.  I can tell you when I was going to school, we used to
     5        use and just play around with it ourselves, so I have been
     6         -- I have received an electrical shock from an electric
     7        prod.  It is it is definitely a lot less than a normal
     8        shock that you would get from regular electricity.  It is
     9        not something that will damage your skin or your muscle.
    10        You will feel something unusual.  I do not know if you have
    11        had the experience of touching an electric fence, the same
    12        thing, it is unusual so you stay away from it.  But it will
    13        not physically harm you.  It might scare you a little bit
    14        for a couple of seconds, but that is about it.
    15
    16   Q.   Do you have a view or an idea, an opinion, whether cattle
    17        are more or less sensitive to that sort of shock than human
    18        beings?
    19        A.  I would say they are less sensitive because the current
    20        is distributed in a large body and a pig normally will
    21        weigh more also than a human do usually.  By the time that,
    22        when the time that they use they are around 100 kilograms
    23        which is probably higher than the average man or female.
    24
    25   Q.   Again concentrating only on the question of animal welfare,
    26        are there any animal welfare benefits to be gained from the
    27        use of prods in the handling of the animals?
    28        A.  Yes, they do.  If used properly, I would say that
    29        actually it is better.  There are the perceptions that we
    30        should not use it, but if you need to handle animals that
    31        are bigger than yourself, you obviously need some help.  In
    32        terms of animal welfare and if you look at the entire span
    33        of time where the animal is subjected to handling, it is
    34        probably better to use -- I would say it is definitely
    35        better to use a prod because you can move the animal.  It
    36        is difficult to animals to say: "Hey, come here".  It is
    37        extremely difficult.  So, animals have a tendency not to
    38        follow directions.  If you use a prod, it is easier to
    39        handle the animals.  So, the subject, the stress they are
    40        subjected to overall is less than if you just tried to push
    41        or kick or whatever means you used to lead the animals.
    42
    43        There are some animals that are, special animals that are
    44        held in, let us say, in a feed lot or in a close
    45        confinement which they are used to humans, it probably
    46        would be easier.  But animals that are grown on a farm that
    47        are not used to human contact, it will be extremely
    48        difficult to handle those animals and definitely the use of
    49        a electric prod will help them handle and move those
    50        animals. 
    51 
    52   Q.   Why is that good for the animals? 
    53        A.  That is correct.
    54
    55   Q.   Sorry?
    56        A.  For the animals as well as for humans.
    57
    58   Q.   Why is that good for the animals as well as the humans?
    59        A.  Because, overall, if you look at the overall time, it
    60        is less stressful to move quickly with a prod than it is to

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