Day 019 - 27 Jul 94 - Page 58
1 Q. OK.
A. It is a fairly uniform system, so it may be
2 acceptable. Usually, the catchers go into the shed. They
turn the lights down, beforehand the drinkers are raised
3 so they did not knock into them then and the feeders
also. They move the birds up the shed a bit just to
4 compress them a bit so they are in a continuous space;
then you have maybe as many as six men spanning the width
5 of the shed catching birds individually from a crouching
position by compiling them into one hand by one leg. Then
6 once they have a sufficient number of birds, they will
turn round, walk to the module where the crates are, load
7 the crates, when they are full, close them and then a
forklift truck would carry the whole module off and load
8 it on to a lorry.
9 Q. That is the system used in Sun Valley?
A. In all likelihood that is the system used in Sun
10 Valley.
11 Q. How do they put them into the crate?
A. By letting them go, letting go of their legs. Once
12 they are over the open drawer and the birds are positioned
on it, they let go.
13
Q. Would they still be upside-down when that happens?
14 A. That is correct, yes.
15 Q. I am not sure about this, but I think it was put to you
yesterday that -- I am not sure what exactly was put to
16 you.
17 MR. JUSTICE BELL: What is the topic?
18 MS. STEEL: About dislocation of joints.
19 MR. JUSTICE BELL: That is when they arrived at the other end?
A. That is when they were examined, yes.
20
Q. That your evidence yesterday related to?
21 A. That is when they are examined. I think it is likely
it is caused at catching and loading of the module, of the
22 transport crates. It is unlikely for a bird to dislocate
its hip during transport.
23
Q. I thought, I may have misunderstood, or may just have been
24 not recollecting properly, I thought that you spoke of
dislocation when they were picked up at the other end?
25 A. Yes, at the other end -- you mean on the farm or do
you mean in the processing plant?
26
Q. Sorry?
27 A. At the other end?
28 Q. At the processing plant.
A. In my view, the most common cause of dislocation is at
29 the farm because when the birds are caught by one hand and
then they are carried out, they are suspended by one leg.
30 If they start flapping they will twist on that leg before
they are loaded into the drawers or the transport crates.
