Day 291 - 31 Oct 96 - Page 42
1 Sun Valley": "Chickens used for McDonald's products are not
2 reared in cages. They have the freedom to move around at
3 will." Obviously, that is a load of rubbish. Apart from
4 the fact that they spend their entire lives in a big,
5 windowless shed, so they cannot be said to have the freedom
6 to move around at will, certainly, by the end of their
7 short six to seven week lives, they can barely move around
8 at all.
9
10 MR. JUSTICE BELL: Well, that is the reference you want for the
11 battery -- the layers as well, is it?
12
13 MS. STEEL: No. That is just the Sun Valley chickens. The
14 battery chickens are over the page.
15
16 MR JUSTICE BELL: Right. What does it -- oh, it is over the
17 page?
18
19 MS. STEEL: Yes. I will come on to it in a second. I mean,
20 I am not going to go through every single point, because
21 I think we have done that with quite a lot of the witnesses
22 anyway. I am just picking out the particularly ridiculous
23 ones.
24
25 On page 3, it says: "Sun Valley complies with the strict EC
26 legislation regarding poultry rearing"; and, as Miss Druce
27 gave evidence on day 109, lines 46 to 48 -----
28
29 MR. JUSTICE BELL: Give me the reference again.
30
31 MS. STEEL: Sorry. Day 109, page 27, lines 46 to 48, there is
32 no EEC or EC legislation regarding poultry rearing.
33
34 On page 3, it says about eggs, "Osters": "A percentage of
35 Osters' hens are kept in cages. This is the company's
36 preferred system for egg production, because it is hygienic
37 and efficient, providing a clean, no risk environment which
38 enables the eggs to be separated from the hens and their
39 droppings."
40
41 Obviously, we have heard about the fact that it does not
42 provide a hygienic and low risk end environment for the
43 birds. I will not go into all the detail about that.
44 I think the only evidence we have heard is that all the
45 eggs actually come from chickens in battery cages. I think
46 Mr. Kenny said that at one point. Yes. We have the formal
47 admission, anyway.
48
49 I think, actually, that is it, because there is not
50 actually a section about Bowes, for some reason. There is
51 one about Roach Bacon.
52
53 Can I just say there was reference on, I think it was
54 day 61, page 42, line 51, to Mrs. Crawford going down to
55 Sun Valley on one occasion and stopping the slaughter line
56 because the stunning was not adequate. If I just say, if
57 she was able to spot that the stunning was not adequate,
58 then it must have been going pretty badly; it must have
59 been pretty obvious, because she is not someone with any
60 kind of qualification in that area. I think that is
