Day 093 - 28 Feb 95 - Page 09


     
     1        continue their research.  That is why I am very reluctant
     2        to draw a conclusion.
     3
     4   MS. STEEL:   Do you only read reports that suit your purposes,
     5        Dr. Gomez Gonzalez?
     6        A.  Excuse me?
     7
     8   Q.   Do you only read scientific reports that suit your beliefs
     9        and purposes?
    10        A.  No.
    11
    12   Q.   You had not read anything about nerves in beaks prior to
    13        this, had you?
    14        A.  I have read reports on debeaking.  And I have never
    15        seen reports to this extent that all the claims they are
    16        making, no.
    17
    18   Q.   There have actually been a number of reports on this and
    19        you have not read any of them.
    20        A.  Any, no?
    21
    22   Q.   No, about pain on debeaking?
    23        A.  Pain?
    24
    25   Q.   Yes?
    26        A.  The articles that I have seen in the past about
    27        debeaking, they never mentioned anything about pain.
    28
    29   Q.   In the first column at the end of the first paragraph, it
    30        says:  "Removal of part of the beak stimulates nociceptors
    31        and creates feeding difficulties", would you accept that?
    32        A.  If you go to that extent, I do not know what they mean
    33        by "feeding difficulties".  One can draw a conclusion, if
    34        you look at the species of the chicken that they do have,
    35        in fact, some feeding difficulties.  One of the problems
    36        that we have with chickens is that they do not know what
    37        feed is all about.  They are always pecking into something
    38        because they do not know what feed is supposed to be like.
    39        So, that species by itself has a feeding difficulty.  They
    40        will peck into everything.  They will peck in the legs of
    41        their own brothers and sisters because they think that is
    42        feed.  I am sure you have seen a chicken pecking on the
    43        ground looking for food.
    44
    45   Q.   Would you accept, as it says halfway down the second
    46        paragraph:  "The beak of the chicken is extensively
    47        innervated and has numerous cutaneous sensory receptors
    48        which have been classified" ------
    49        A.  Yes.
    50 
    51   Q.   You would accept that sentence, would you? 
    52        A.  Yes, I do. 
    53
    54   Q.   Chickens' beaks are actually quite different to people's
    55        nails, are they not?
    56        A.  Yes, they are.
    57
    58   Q.   People's nails do not bleed when they cut them, for
    59        example?
    60        A.  No.  They do bleed.  They could bleed.

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