Day 080 - 30 Jan 95 - Page 37
1 MR. JUSTICE BELL: That was in reaction to Preston, was it?
2 A. Yes, sir. I think that if you look at skinning, (3)
3 and (4), they look to me to be post Preston, and (5), yes,
4 (5), that is a very recent one, (5), and (6). If you turn
5 the page, tying the oesophagus, that will be post Preston.
6 I would suspect that under "brisket cutting" No. 2 is post
7 Preston. I think that is all I would recognise. All the
8 rest of it I recognise from the 1958 Act.
9
10 MS. STEEL: It has taken from the law then?
11 A. Yes.
12
13 Q. Can I just ask about the goads? Did you explain your views
14 on goads to McDonald's?
15 A. I have discussed it with McDonald's. I have discussed
16 it with people in the McDonald's Purchasing Department, but
17 it is a McDonald's decision of the Beef Committee working
18 out of Frankfurt and so it stays in. My reason I explained
19 previously.
20
21 Q. Yes, but so McDonald's were not convinced by your argument
22 then; they demanded that it stay in?
23 A. I think that is a fair assumption.
24
25 Q. Did they say to you why that was?
26 A. No.
27
28 Q. They did not?
29 A. No.
30
31 Q. On page 37, you have got "the minimum holding of livestock
32 overnight", what is the reason for that?
33 A. Well, because it is a very good way of making sure that
34 any animals that are held overnight have got adequate space
35 and, I mean, the only reason anyone should ever hold
36 livestock overnight is to start in the morning.
37
38 Q. So there is not a problem with holding them overnight?
39 A. No, not at all as long as they have fresh water, fresh
40 clean water.
41
42 Q. You said that modern slaughterhouses no longer have
43 unloading ramps?
44 A. Most of them do not.
45
46 Q. Right. When did that start to change?
47 A. In abattoir design it has evolved over the last five to
48 eight years, that they have all started building what we
49 call stations and platforms and the trucks back up to the
50 platform.
51
52 Q. What is the reason why they are changing away from the
53 ramps?
54 A. Well, it is better for the cattle. I mean, you do not
55 want cattle slipping and sliding if you can make them walk
56 on a level platform.
57
58 Q. So is that something that is brought in because you are
59 worried about bruising the meat, or is that a welfare
60 consideration?
