Day 079 - 27 Jan 95 - Page 31
1 Q. On site?
2 A. Yes -- not on site. It has to have access to the
3 laboratories.
4
5 Q. You say "access to the laboratories"; how often would they
6 be expected to use the services of the laboratory?
7 A. I do not know. That would be on their local LVO, the
8 local veterinary officers.
9
10 Q. So, for example, that is not something which McKey's would
11 ever check up on? For example, ask a question: "When was
12 the last time you sent anything to a laboratory?" Answer:
13 "Three years ago". "That is fine by us"?
14 A. Well, that is a ridiculous statement because an EEC
15 licence is granted annually, and it is granted under the
16 authority of the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and
17 Food.
18
19 Q. Is it a condition of that that you are using laboratory
20 services regularly?
21 A. It is a condition of it that the abattoir concerned
22 meets the beef and veal directive.
23
24 Q. That includes the use of laboratory services?
25 A. Thinking from memory, I think it says "must have access
26 to".
27
28 Q. Yes, but anybody in the world has access to a laboratory if
29 they pay for it, have they not?
30 A. Well, I do not write the law that comes out of
31 Brussels. I am only quoting it to you.
32
33 Q. Yes, but you have said in your statements: "... Each
34 abbatoir has its own veterinary surgeons, laboratories and
35 Environmental Health Officers"?
36 A. Yes.
37
38 Q. So you, obviously, feel they are three important quality
39 control components?
40 A. Yes.
41
42 Q. So would you be happy with a supplier who did not make use
43 of laboratory services, for example?
44 A. I would be happy as long as my meat was delivered with
45 the professional signature of a veterinary officer on the
46 documents saying that it had been inspected and passed as
47 standard, yes, and had come from an EEC approved abattoir
48 and an EEC approved boning room.
49
50 Q. When the EEC approves an abattoir, is it not a fact that
51 they are partly saying the conditions, as presently exist,
52 are acceptable or that they are satisfied that improvements
53 to their standards, up to their standards, have been
54 promised to be made?
55 A. The MAFF investigation and the veterinary investigation
56 of MAFF under certain circumstances having established that
57 the conditions of the walls, finishes, surfaces, hygiene
58 are satisfactory, I suppose under a special circumstance,
59 provided that the person concerned gave an undertaking that
60 work was in hand, they would pass his licence, yes.
