Day 066 - 14 Dec 94 - Page 24
1 barns, how do they live?
2 A. On a farm or a ranch, as it is called in the US. Their
3 conditions are what is described as extensive production,
4 so the majority of their life they live in the pastures
5 which are open and big.
6
7 Q. Do US open air cattle come inside in winter or not?
8 A. In the farming they do not.
9
10 Q. They do not.
11 A. No. They might look for cover within trees in the
12 natural environment, but there are no facilities, usually
13 there are no facilities, that will provide a housing.
14
15 Q. In some parts of the United States, the winter can be very
16 hard, can it not?
17 A. Yes.
18
19 Q. Heavy snow and cold winds?
20 A. Yes, that is correct.
21
22 Q. Minus degrees of frost?
23 A. That is correct.
24
25 Q. Are there any significant losses of cattle over the winter
26 in the United States?
27 A. Not -- no. The animals have been evolved, in some
28 instances, have been bred so that they are resistant to the
29 environment, whether it is heat or cold -- "tolerant" might
30 be a better word.
31
32 Q. McDonald's uses for its beef patties, I think, two kinds of
33 cattle; is that right?
34 A. In the US, that is correct.
35
36 Q. Steers and cows for the lean meat?
37 A. That is correct.
38
39 Q. What sorts of ages are the animals do they tend to be,
40 those two different types of cow, when they are slaughtered
41 for production of McDonald's food?
42 A. The steer?
43
44 Q. Yes.
45 A. It could be around, it is usually around two or three
46 years old. The cows that we use could range from anywhere
47 from seven to eleven, twelve years.
48
49 Q. Am I right that in some parts of America before the animals
50 are sent to be slaughtered, the cattle, they are put on to
51 what are called feed lots?
52 A. That is correct.
53
54 Q. Is that a universal practice or not?
55 A. Not very extensive but there are some countries that
56 these very small proportion of the animals are placed in
57 feed lots.
58
59 Q. Can you describe for us a typical food lot?
60 A. Yes, I can. A typical food lot will have a large pen
