Day 077 - 25 Jan 95 - Page 35
1 Q. Please turn over -----
2
3 MR. JUSTICE BELL: Mr. Rampton, it was said that the audit forms
4 are not shown to the abattoir and the question was in their
5 completed form, but do the abattoirs have copies of your
6 audit forms so that they can see ---
7 A. Yes, the do.
8
9 Q. -- the kind of checks that you have in mind?
10 A. Yes. They also have an explanation letter when they
11 were issued.
12
13 MR. RAMPTON: I was going to do that in a much more round about
14 way, I am afraid, but your Lordship has really answered my
15 next question. (To the witness): Just turn quickly, will
16 you, to tab 4, Mr. Walker, of this same pink file, which is
17 one of your raw material specifications for October 1991.
18 We will come back to this in much more detail when we get
19 on to food safety. If you turn over to the first page of
20 text which is page 44 of the file, there is a section
21 headed: "Pre and postmortem treatment." 2.1 says:
22 "Animals must not be unduly stressed and must be
23 adequately layeraged whilst awaiting slaughter", and there
24 is a reference to an Act of Parliament and some
25 regulations.
26
27 My question was going to be, how do the slaughterhouses
28 know of your detailed requirements in fulfilment of this
29 condition in the specification. You have answered that
30 they are shown blank forms. Is there any other means by
31 which you animal welfare concerns are communicated to them?
32 A. Yes, but it is long and involved. We all the time are
33 being approached by people who wish to be suppliers to
34 McKey. For anyone to become a supplier of McKey involves a
35 very long, detailed vetting procedure. It involves members
36 of their management coming to McKey and being told what we
37 require. It involves not just the person concerned in
38 inspection but the Group Technical Officer himself going
39 out to that new supplier before that supplier is listed.
40 There is a great deal of explanation goes on.
41
42 Q. If one of your chaps is down there, the supplier has the
43 audit form, may there be a discussion about this or that
44 item on the form about what it means, what they are
45 required to do, and that kind of thing?
46 A. Absolutely.
47
48 Q. Have you read the report prepared by Dr. Neville Gregory
49 from Bristol University, as he then was -- he has now gone
50 to New Zealand -- relating to the abattoir at Midland Meat
51 Packers in Northampton?
52 A. Yes.
53
54 Q. And the other one which he called "B" which is, in fact,
55 Jarrets abattoir down in the West Country?
56 A. Yes, I have.
57
58 Q. Have you visited those abattoirs?
59 A. Oh, yes, many times.
60
