Day 081 - 31 Jan 95 - Page 51
1 I do not make a study of that area so I am not -----
2
3 Q. In professional publications or, in general, reading
4 publications?
5 A. Only in -- well, perhaps in both, but it was only from
6 interest and not from a professional requirement.
7
8 MR. MORRIS: But as an Environmental Health professional, you
9 would have an opinion and have to be aware on their use of
10 antibiotics in animals, would you not, because there are
11 laws as to whether animals that have been treated with
12 antibiotics can be slaughtered within a certain time for
13 human consumption, are there not?
14 A. Why would I need to be aware of that?
15
16 MR. JUSTICE BELL: He might have to be aware of it if there was
17 some health risk involved, you see, but if there was no
18 health risk involved he might not have to.
19
20 MR. MORRIS: Is there not a rule that you cannot consume an
21 animal that has been dosed with antibiotics 14 days before?
22 A. I believe there is but it is not something that
23 I -----
24
25 Q. Do you know why there is that rule?
26 A. Well, presumably, so there is no carry over of
27 antibiotics to the consumer, presumably.
28
29 Q. I do not know if there are many further questions, really.
30 We need to have a look. Could you just explain -----
31
32 MR. JUSTICE BELL: I would just like to get a picture of your
33 particular expertise. It is Environmental Health ---
34 A. Yes.
35
36 Q. -- particularly related to food?
37 A. Yes.
38
39 Q. When you say "environmental health", do you mean food?
40 A. That includes food but in my particular case, for
41 instance, the food premises rather than the actual food
42 microbiology itself, and things like antibiotics are very
43 much on the periphery of my interests.
44
45 Q. So your particular expertise is in the premises which are
46 concerned with the processing and consumption of food going
47 back to the abattoir ---
48 A. Yes.
49
50 Q. -- for instance? You do not go back into the farm?
51 A. No.
52
53 Q. It is premises rather than microbiology, is it?
54 A. It is the way in which diseases are transmitted which,
55 obviously, includes looking at the food itself, but I am
56 looking at things like the critical points in the premises
57 themselves, yes.
58
59 Q. Is what you are saying, therefore, you have to know enough
60 about certain organisms?
