Day 020 - 28 Jul 94 - Page 49


     
     1        is often a radio on.  There is pneumatics in an abattoir
              and they are prone to making quite a lot of noise; for
     2        instance, on elevating platforms, if you have an elevating
              platform for the high puller; if you have pneumatics for,
     3        say, a Flaymaster gun which is a way of taking the hide
              off. There are various bits of equipment which, in total,
     4        generate quite a lot of noise, yes.
 
     5   Q.   Can you actually hear what is on the radio?  In some
              factories or plants you cannot, but it is one way of
     6        testing what the background noise is, whether you can
              actually recognise the tune or not?
     7        A.  You do see slaughtermen singing in abattoirs along
              with the radio, so in some situations, yes, they can hear
     8        what is going on on the radio.
 
     9   MR. MORRIS:  So it would not be surprising, would it, if cows
              became stressed because of the noise?
    10        A.  I agree.
 
    11   Q.   Have you ever seen any cows becoming very agitated before
              going into the stunning pen?
    12        A.  Yes, I think the most common form of problem in that
              area is where a cow refuses to move; it just digs its feet
    13        in, so to speak and it is very difficult to get the animal
              to go forward.  That is a typical reaction where you have
    14        a problem animal.
 
    15   Q.   Would this be exacerbated if the animals that were going
              through this process were non-dairy animals because they
    16        had not been so used to being handled?
              A.  Interesting question.  I think you might find slightly
    17        different behaviour in steers and heifers.  They are more
              likely to be more active, whereas a dairy cow is more
    18        likely to, as I use the term, dig its feet in.  So you
              will get slight differences in behaviour, but you can get
    19        problems in all types of cattle.
 
    20   Q.   If we go to the actual stunning procedure:  The stunning
              procedure we are talking about is the captive bolt pistol?
    21        A.  Yes.
 
    22   Q.   Can you just explain what electric stunning of cattle
              would be?
    23        A.  Yes.  There are two systems in common use around the
              world; there is only one abattoir in the United Kingdom
    24        which at the moment is using electric stunning in large
              cattle.  One system which is prevalent in Russia and that
    25        part of the world, you know, the former Eastern Block
              countries, is for current to be applied to the head of the 
    26        animal using a manually held probe, and then current flows 
              through the animal to its feet which acts as the other 
    27        electrode.  The other system was developed in New Zealand
              and is common place in Australasia, that is, where a yoke
    28        comes across the neck of the animal and that acts as one
              electrode and then there is an automatic chin lift which
    29        comes up and then automatically the second electrode is
              applied to the nose, and so current would flow from the
    30        nose to the neck.
 

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