Day 089 - 15 Feb 95 - Page 20


     
     1        recall?
     2        A.  I do not recall the date specifically.
     3
     4   Q.   Have you read the evidence which he has given in this
     5        court, both in examination-in-chief and in
     6        cross-examination?
     7        A.  Yes, I have.
     8
     9   Q.   It may be, Dr. Pattison, that in due course I shall ask you
    10        to comment on one or two of the things that he said, but
    11        there will be, I assure you, very few.  Can I ask you the
    12        reason why he came to Sun Valley in February 1993?
    13        A.  The reason we invited him in as an external consultant,
    14        somebody who was an expert in the slaughter of chickens,
    15        and we wanted specific advice and help from him on the way
    16        that we set up our stunning equipment and killing equipment
    17        so that we could really get the best advice that was
    18        available in the industry at that time.
    19
    20   Q.   You say "set up", were you just looking for improvements to
    21        an existing system or were you changing the system?
    22        A.  We were actually -- it was the time when we started to
    23        refurbish our factory and we were changing the
    24        configuration of the lines, and at that time we wanted to
    25        install new machinery which included new stunning
    26        equipment.
    27
    28   Q.   He came and looked at the stunning equipment as an outside
    29        expert?
    30        A.  He did, yes.
    31
    32   Q.   Was that new stunning equipment scrutinized by anybody else
    33        from outside the company?
    34        A.  At the time of his visit we also had our resident
    35        official veterinary surgeon present and also two MAFF
    36        veterinary officers who are responsible for the licensing
    37        of the plant and for the general supervision of the way
    38        that we run it.
    39
    40   Q.   Were those two MAFF officers officers of the same rank or
    41        different ranks?
    42        A.  No, one was more senior to the other.  We had a local
    43        officer from the Worcester MAFF office, but then we also
    44        had the regional meat hygiene official who has the ultimate
    45        say in whether the plant continues to keep its licence.
    46
    47   Q.   Did they scrutinize the stunning equipment along with
    48        Dr. Gregory or not?
    49        A.  They did.  They scrutinised the way it was set up.
    50        Then we had a discussion and a meeting and came to 
    51        conclusions as to at the end of the day as to the best way 
    52        that that equipment should be operated. 
    53
    54   Q.   Since that equipment was installed, has either the OVS or
    55        MAFF raised any objection to the way in which it operates?
    56        A.  They have not.
    57
    58   Q.   Before it was installed, had the OVS or MAFF raised
    59        objection to the predecessor of the new equipment or the
    60        new system?

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