Day 106 - 23 Mar 95 - Page 45


     
     1        However, by putting in crate washing, they also put in,
     2        they told me and showed me, very expensive disinfectants.
     3        By so doing, they felt that that was one of the factors
     4        which had contributed to the reduction in flock infection.
     5        There are other areas, of course.  There has been intensive
     6        programme on the breeders to reduce infection in the
     7        breeders, there has been intensive and many, many changes
     8        on the actual production, the live bird production sites,
     9        tightening up all the way around.  All this stems from 1988
    10        and the great salmonella crisis.
    11
    12   Q.   So this would have been changes made since when?
    13        A.  1988 was the key year, end of 1988.  So, an awful lot
    14        of work has been done, 1989, 1990.  The breeding flock
    15        orders came in in 1989.  There is a Notice Order came in in
    16        1989.  The codes of practice were reissued, I think it
    17        might even have been very late 1988, certainly 1989.  So,
    18        an awful lot of work was done through 1989 and 1990 and
    19        subsequently to reduce incidents of salmonellas in live
    20        birds.
    21
    22        Hitherto, previous to that, I think it was 77 figures for
    23        salmonella, the PHLS, the Public Health Laboratory Service,
    24        figures were in the order of 70 per cent.
    25
    26   Q.   In live birds?
    27        A.  No, in carcasses salmonella in carcasses.  By 1990 the
    28        Public Health Laboratory Service was reporting 50 per cent;
    29        so, that Sun Valley going down to 25 per cent represents
    30        not an inconsiderable achievement.
    31
    32   Q.   The 50 per cent, at what stage is that?  Is that directly
    33        after slaughter?
    34        A.  No, the PHLS are doing finished carcasses, that is
    35        whole carcasses, from retail stores, that is, wrapped and
    36        oven ready.
    37
    38   MR. JUSTICE BELL:  That is before the meat has been deboned and
    39        mixed up together?
    40        A.  This is true so that -----
    41
    42   Q.   So is that not the equivalent of the 4 per cent being
    43        reduced to 1 per cent?
    44        A.  No, because I would suggest that the deboned meat will
    45        probably be a higher level contamination than the carcass
    46        birds.  So, it is in their favour in that sense, that
    47        figure.  It does, in fact, suggest that if they represented
    48        in 1988 and the 70s the industry norm -- I do not know that
    49        they did but if they did -- then the results they have at
    50        the moment represent a quite significant improvement on 
    51        what they have been able to deliver hitherto. 
    52 
    53   MR. JUSTICE BELL:  It is somewhere between the 1 per cent and
    54        the 25 per cent because the bird is no longer live; it is a
    55        carcass which has gone through the factory so it may have
    56        received more contamination there?
    57        A.  That is right.
    58
    59   Q.   On the other hand, it has not been deboned and mixed up so
    60        it has not had a risk of spread contamination which is

Prev Next Index