Day 096 - 03 Mar 95 - Page 47


     
     1        people.
     2
     3   Q.   Have you always used head only stunning?
     4        A.  When we first started business in the 1950s.
     5
     6   Q.   OK.  Just take the last 10 years then.
     7        A.  Yes.
     8
     9   Q.   I do not know if you can find orange bundle Dr. Gregory's
    10        document.
    11
    12   MR. JUSTICE BELL:  They are down the bottom, No. V.
    13
    14   MS. STEEL:   Just before we open that up, when the tongs are put
    15        on the animal's head, can you just explain where each of
    16        the two scissor parts would go?
    17        A.  Yes, the ideal position is the tongs to go on the head
    18        here across the eyes just in front of the ear, if
    19        possible.  Everyone is trained to do that, and when the pig
    20        comes in the pen to be stunned, obviously, the purpose is
    21        to make it as quick and as efficient as possible.
    22        Sometimes the pig will be caught at the neck, and that will
    23        give an instant stun but, as the pig falls down, that is
    24        when it falls on the stunner's leg.  He then lets the tongs
    25        come round, so it comes over the back of one ear so that is
    26        direct contact through the brain and you get a good,
    27        efficient stun.
    28
    29   Q.   If you could turn to page 280 in this bundle, please,
    30        tab E?
    31        A.  Yes.
    32
    33   Q.   If you look at paragraph 55 it says:  "Electrical equipment
    34        used to stun an animal must be set to deliver a current
    35        which is sufficient to render the animal instantaneously
    36        insensible to pain.  The equipment must be fitted with a
    37        device to prevent it delivering a current below that which
    38        has been set to deliver, as may occur if the electrical
    39        resistance offered by the animal is unusually high".  You
    40        say that up to now you have not had those devices fitted to
    41        your stunning equipment?
    42        A.  No, because there has been nothing commercially
    43        available in the world.
    44
    45   Q.   Why should they have it in the MAFF guidelines if it is not
    46        available?
    47        A.  Yes.  It is a guideline which most of the industry is
    48        trying their hardest to achieve as quickly as possible, but
    49        until the product becomes commercially available, one thing
    50        is to have a pilot type piece of equipment that has been 
    51        developed in scientific arena, it is quite a while before 
    52        it is made available commercially.  It is now the second 
    53        time that the attempt has been made and it is now
    54        available.
    55
    56   Q.   But this pamphlet was published two years ago?
    57        A.  Yes.
    58
    59   Q.   Are you really saying that this equipment has not been
    60        commercially available before now?

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