Day 020 - 28 Jul 94 - Page 15


     
     1
         Q.   If you could look at the defendants' documents, No. 105?
     2        A.  Which file?
 
     3   Q.   In the blue file.
 
     4   MR. RAMPTON:  Which list?
 
     5   MS. STEEL:   The first list.
              A.  Blue bundle VI, you say?
     6
         MR. JUSTICE BELL:  It is blue bundle III and it goes up to 100
     7        and then starts again.  It is 6, apparently.  "Kinder Ways
              To Kill", is that it?
     8
         MS. STEEL:   It is 105 actually, "The Slaughter of Food
     9        Animals".
              A.  Right.
    10
         Q.   On page 10 it says:  "The problems involved with the
    11        stunning and slaughter of poultry are complex but
              essentially can be divided into three main areas.
    12        Firstly, that some birds may miss the stunning bath",
              which is what has occurred here, and then, "the voltage
    13        and current flowing through the bird's body may be
              insufficient to render the bird unconscious for long
    14        enough before death supervenes due to blood loss".  It
              also goes on to say:  "During bleeding out, only one side
    15        of the neck is normally cut.  Scientific evidence has
              shown that under these conditions it may be as long as six
    16        minutes before brain failure ensues".
              A.  Sounds right.
    17
         Q.   It goes on to say, "All birds should, therefore, be killed
    18        instead of being temporarily stunned", so they are making
              the same recommendations as you?
    19        A.  Yes.
 
    20   Q.   They explain how that can be done and then it says, "the
              RSPCA urges the remainder of poultry processors to do the
    21        same without delay".
              A.  Yes.  These problems over the times which we have been
    22        discussing become irrelevant when you kill at stunning.
 
    23   MR. JUSTICE BELL:  Sorry?
              A.  These discussions that we have been having about 52
    24        seconds, the time sequence, become irrelevant when you
              induce a cardiac arrest at the time of stunning.
    25
         MS. STEEL:   So you and the RSPCA agree the best method would 
    26        be to use the stun kill method? 
              A.  I do. 
    27
         Q.   Do you know why Sun Valley poultry are not using that
    28        method?
              A.  I do.
    29
         Q.   Why do they say they are not using it?
    30        A.  Because of trials which they have done in their
              establishment at Hereford which have shown that when they

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