Day 067 - 15 Dec 94 - Page 27
1 purpose in this case, i.e. to get information from
2 different countries, is that the form which is, in fact,
3 used for slaughterhouse audits or not?
4 A. It is one of the forms. In different countries there
5 are additional forms that are used because it better fits
6 the need. That is a global, generic form, and if you look
7 at the countries you would understand that there is a
8 significant difference between countries to countries, even
9 within the same country. That is a generic form. So, we
10 have to rely on different forms for specific countries and
11 we also rely on our people. When we visit, if I may
12 clarify, when we visit the slaughterhouse to your point in
13 the US, we do not use that form, we use a more extensive
14 form.
15
16 MS. STEEL: Is that specifically about animal welfare?
17 A. It includes all of the factors that we think are of
18 importance. It includes animal welfare; it includes the
19 hygiene practices; it includes their process to monitor the
20 food safety; it includes areas that are directly related to
21 management and how the plant is being run.
22
23 Q. So there is a standard form that goes to the suppliers in
24 the USA -- goes to the slaughterhouse in the USA?
25 A. Yes, that is correct.
26
27 Q. How many pages long is that?
28 A. We have, let us see, if I remember correctly, just a
29 few pages.
30
31 Q. Is it a whole page on animal welfare or -----
32 A. It has broad definitions. I think it is divided into
33 different areas. If I remember correctly, it is less than
34 one page.
35
36 Q. Right.
37 A. But it is broad areas, areas that will give us an
38 indication of the welfare of the animals. It does not have
39 a specific, very specific, details about every specific
40 area that it is considered to be part of the Humane
41 Slaughter Act.
42
43 Q. There is not a comparable thing for farms? There is not an
44 audit form for farms?
45 A. We do not have, that is correct.
46
47 Q. The forms that were sent out around the world that we have
48 seen, we looked at yesterday, was that the first time that
49 had been done?
50 A. On my side, yes.
51
52 Q. What do you mean by "on my side"?
53 A. I sent that form. I have been with the company for
54 three and half, roughly three and a half years. We do an
55 incredible amount of things within the company, as you will
56 understand, a company of our size. Nobody in the company,
57 it would be beyond human comprehension to understand and to
58 see every single report that is produced, every single form
59 that is developed. The company has been in operation for
60 roughly 40 years. I do not know every single detail, every
