Day 096 - 03 Mar 95 - Page 57
1
2 Q. Because your answer a few minutes ago may have given that
3 impression.
4 A. No. It is the meat inspectors.
5
6 (The video recording was shown).
7
8 MS. STEEL: Perhaps you could pause a second.
9
10 MR. JUSTICE BELL: Can you give us an idea when this film was
11 made like with the previous one?
12
13 MS. STEEL: I know this was more recent. I think it is towards
14 the late 80s, possibly even early 90s, but I am not sure.
15 I can check later on tonight or something like that.
16
17 THE WITNESS: If I can give you a slight indication, sir, on
18 there it was just stated that over 50 per cent of the sows
19 were in stores -- I said "stores" I meant stalls and
20 tethers -- but the figure now published by (inaudible),
21 that the number known nationally is now just under 38 per
22 cent.
23
24 MS. STEEL: That was tethers that were shown there?
25 A. Yes.
26
27 Q. Did some of your suppliers used to use tethers?
28 A. Years ago they did.
29
30 Q. When, about five years ago?
31 A. People have been looking at other systems. I mentioned
32 transponders and yard systems earlier this morning, and
33 since the systems have been available farmers have been
34 changing to that and also into outdoor pig production as
35 well. I would say it has been declining for the last 12
36 years, 12 years easily.
37
38 MS. STEEL: Carry on.
39
40 (The video recording continued).
41
42 MR. MORRIS: Can you stop it there, please? The battery cages
43 that are shown there, they are not used a great length of
44 the time?
45 A. When they were used, no.
46
47 Q. So, when they were used how long would the battery cages
48 last for?
49 A. There was a phase in the 70s when the battery cage
50 system was used and I would assess that in the pig industry
51 in the UK by and large that system has finished.
52
53 Q. It is still there to some extent but a small minority?
54 A. Very small. If it was there I would not know where to
55 go and find any now.
56
57 Q. So in the 80s that was around, that was fairly usual?
58 A. That was about, yes.
59
60 Q. That would have been gradually phasing out until the 90s?
