Day 088 - 13 Feb 95 - Page 56
1 something like three and a half to 4 weeks in the crate
2 about twice a year?
3 A. That is correct, sir.
4
5 MS. STEEL: The crate is basically the length of the pig?
6 A. No, it is longer.
7
8 Q. How much longer?
9 A. I would say about 20 per cent on average, 20, 25 per
10 cent.
11
12 Q. What are we talking about, 50 centimetres or something like
13 that?
14 A. No, there is an adjustable back door to all our crates.
15
16 Q. Yes, but what is the additional length of a crate?
17 A. You see when a gilt first goes into a crate it is a
18 smaller pig and, as it gets older, it grows and you leave
19 it so that it is in the shorter position for the gilt when
20 it is at its smallest and you then extend it and expand it
21 when the sow becomes bigger.
22
23 Q. So how long are the gilts?
24 A. How long are the gilts.
25
26 Q. Yes?
27 A. They vary according to the breed.
28
29 Q. Give us an average, or a typical one of the three breeds
30 that you use.
31
32 MR. JUSTICE BELL: I think what you are really being asked is
33 you have got this adjustable rear gate, how much length do
34 you allow in addition to the length of the sow?
35 A. We always allow about 20 per cent more room than is
36 needed. It has to have room to go forward and feed, it has
37 to have room to go back and dung, sir.
38
39 Q. It is being suggested that that amounts to about half a
40 metre of extra length?
41 A. Again that comes down to the expertise of the
42 individual judgment of the stockman to the individual pig.
43
44 Q. I understand that, but just so that I have a picture, can
45 I add about half a metre on to the length of pig to get a
46 fair picture or what?
47 A. That is reasonable, sir, half to three quarters of a
48 metre.
49
50 MR. JUSTICE BELL: Thank you.
51
52 MR. JUSTICE BELL: How much do the sows in the arks move around
53 in the two days before they farrow and then in the three
54 weeks after that before the piglets are weaned?
55 A. The sows have the freedom, first of all, sir, to choose
56 the ark of their choice and, as you know, like most animals
57 are territorial. Once they have chosen that ark, that is
58 where they go back and forwards to.
59 When they are in there, and settled in there, we will then
60 have what we call "a fender on the front". It is a
