Day 290 - 30 Oct 96 - Page 20
1 reference for that somewhere, actually.
2
3 MR. JUSTICE BELL: Yes. (Pause).
4
5 MS. STEEL: He said that their company used to wean pigs at 21
6 days old, now they weaned them at 24 days old. That was
7 day 88, page 7, line 44. He said that they had made a
8 change during the last year for purely commercial reasons.
9 Obviously it was 1995 when Mr. Bowes gave evidence so that
10 would have been 1994 that they made the change. He said
11 that we found we could still wean at 24 days without any
12 detriment commercially.
13
14 MR. JUSTICE BELL: Yes, I am not sure that meant it was done for
15 commercial reasons. If I remember correctly, he would
16 obviously like to wean them as late as possible within
17 reason and they found they could let it go another three
18 days without any commercial downside. Was that not it,
19 really?
20
21 MS. STEEL: That is the point, the obvious point being that if
22 it had been to their detriment commercially they would not
23 have done it.
24
25 MR. JUSTICE BELL: Dr. Gregory had said 21 days, when he saw
26 them. If it was up to the sow, it would be later than
27 eight weeks.
28
29 MS. STEEL: Yes. When the pigs were weaned, they would be put
30 into the kennel system. And that was dealt with on page 7,
31 line 32.
32
33 MR. JUSTICE BELL: Yes.
34
35 MS. STEEL: Both the outdoor and the indoor pigs were weaned at
36 the same age. He said that on the company's own farms the
37 -- actually it was a bit confusing because he said on the
38 company's own farms all the weaners went outside into
39 outdoor kennels, but he then said later on that the
40 kennels, his brother's farm, which obviously is part of the
41 same company, the kennels for the weaners there were
42 indoors. I am just trying to find a reference. (Pause).
43
44 MR. JUSTICE BELL: Well, it may not matter very much. There
45 was a stage at which all weaned pigs, according to
46 Dr. Gregory anyway, and you may have the note of what
47 Mr. Bowes said, were put into indoor accommodation, that
48 was about 40 kilos live weight.
49
50 MS. STEEL: That is right. But, I mean, the evidence was a bit
51 confusing from Mr. Bowes, because he said that -- I am not
52 trying to say he was doing this deliberately but----
53
54 MR. JUSTICE BELL: He may have misunderstood a question.
55
56 MS. STEEL: He kept on referring to the company's own farms.
57 I think that he was just referring to, I do not know, I do
58 not know whether it is the farm that he lives on, because
59 the fact is that he did say that his brother -- the weaners
60 went into indoor kennels for them at his brother's farm.
