Day 018 - 26 Jul 94 - Page 61
1 uses waste paper and they prefer that, from their
experience, in connection with things like Hock Burn, so
2 I believe, so I was told. It is easier to manage environment/index.html">litter
to produce a fryable, dry environment/index.html">litter with that type of
3 material than with wood shavings, and so they have a
special modification to their system. I suggest you
4 address Dr. Pattison if you want further details on that.
5 MR. RAMPTON: I will
6 MR. JUSTICE BELL: Yes. I just wanted to know a little about
those particular complaints.
7
MR. RAMPTON: This page, last line, Dr. Gregory, continues:
8 "When they", that is the chickens, "are gathered for
slaughter, they are often grabbed by their legs and
9 carried upside down which frequently causes dislocation of
joints and other injuries".
10
Dr. Gregory, I think your evidence was that in relation to
11 an earlier visit to Sun Valley the percentage of birds of
which that was true was six; is that right?
12 A. Yes.
13 Q. Then it goes on: " ... including bruising and broken
wings and legs. The method of slaughter is by stunning
14 and then cutting with a knife. About one third of all
broilers are not stunned properly and so are sentient when
15 they go to the knife". Is there any evidence of any --
you have already told us it was not so at Sun Valley when
16 you were there -- did you see any evidence of any risk
that it might be so on any given day, one third?
17 A. I am surprised by that remark. I cannot see how it
could have arisen.
18
Q. 33 per cent of all the birds on the killing line?
19 A. If there was overt consciousness in these birds, I
would have anticipated that the personnel at the plant
20 would have noticed that sort of prevalence and they would
have reacted. I would be surprised if they were incapable
21 to recognise that.
22 Q. Here we have 33 per cent of all the chickens being sliced
by the knife whilst still conscious, have we not, Dr.
23 Gregory, is that not right?
A. Yes.
24
Q. Sentient?
25 A. Yes.
26 Q. Do you know of any evidence to suggest that that may be so
in the slaughter of broiler chickens?
27 A. Yes, there is a comment which has come from some
research workers in Germany which is based on research
28 work rather than commercial experience.
29 Q. Laboratory work?
A. Laboratory work, precisely, which has led to that
30 conclusion. What they did is they mimicked an industrial
situation in terms of the amount of current that the birds
