Day 105 - 16 Mar 95 - Page 33
1
2 MR. MORRIS: So you said that is particularly the case for
3 McKeys; is that because they are particularly strong on,
4 you know, enforcing their checks and specifications?
5 A. In my experience, yes.
6
7 Q. Have you had any experience, have you worked for any firms
8 that supply McKey's?
9 A. Yes.
10
11 Q. Which firms are they?
12 A. I am not sure that I am -----
13
14 MR. RAMPTON: No, my Lord, please. We have had this problem
15 before. This is a backdoor way of trying to find out the
16 identity of the abattoirs.
17
18 MR. JUSTICE BELL: Let us just see where you want to go on it.
19
20 MR. MORRIS: Mr. Bennett wants to rely on McKey's being a
21 responsible -----
22
23 MR. RAMPTON: He was asked about McKey's.
24
25 MR. MORRIS: Yes, and he said in his experience they are a
26 responsible, whatever they are, retailer.
27
28 MR. JUSTICE BELL: Quite frankly, I have lots of evidence about
29 McKey and I will judge that matter on whatever I make of
30 that evidence. I can form my own opinion one way or
31 another on it.
32
33 MR. MORRIS (To the witness): So, the meat temperatures
34 specified by McKey's to Jarretts, why is it important for
35 Jarretts to keep within the four degrees arrival
36 temperature of meat to McKey's?
37 A. I have said -- put it in its lowest form, in its most
38 basic form, that McKey's do in fact carry out their own
39 strict intake checks. Where the meat does not meet their
40 specification, they, if it is serious enough, will send the
41 meat back, as we have already seen on looking at their
42 reports. If there is some bone dust, small amounts of bone
43 chips, they do not consider that a rejection criterion,
44 obviously, but where the temperature is adrift of the
45 specification, in my experience, they do return the meat.
46 That is a prime reason, in basic terms, why it is important
47 to comply with specifications.
48
49 There is the overall duty to ensure that you are providing
50 safe meat and one of the ways of doing that is to chill it
51 and dispatch it within statutory limits, in this case
52 seven. So, it is important from that respect also.
53
54 Q. The earliest swab programme we have is February 1994. Do
55 you know when they started the Bristol Laboratory swab
56 programme, sorry, no, that was the E.coli -----
57
58 MR. JUSTICE BELL: Ask your question anyway. Do you know when
59 they started the swab programme?
60 A. I understand from what I am told, 10 years. I know to
