Day 102 - 13 Mar 95 - Page 58


     
     1        A.  That may be the approximate rate, yes.
     2
     3   Q.   Something like that.  Just another question going back, you
     4        said about the laying hens having problems with broken
     5        bones when they are shackled which does not appear in the
     6        broilers at the slaughterhouse.  What percentage of hens
     7        would be affected by that?
     8        A.  Well, we are not dealing specifically with laying hens,
     9        so I am not able to answer your question.
    10
    11   Q.   You do not know.  Did you say how many workers ----
    12
    13   MR. JUSTICE BELL:  So no laying hens are brought into your -----
    14        A.  No, sir.
    15
    16   MR. MORRIS:  Did you say how many workers were on each line when
    17        they are shackled?
    18        A.  Yes.  On each line I said there were six or seven
    19        people who are responsible for hanging on birds.
    20
    21   Q.   So it is about 12 or 14 total?
    22        A.  Yes, that is correct.
    23
    24   Q.   Each one of those is shackling something like 800 or 900
    25        every hour, something like that, 800 an hour?
    26
    27   MR. JUSTICE BELL:  It will be 600 or so an hour if there were
    28        seven of them?
    29        A.  Yes.
    30
    31   Q.   And 750 or something like that if there were six of them?
    32        A.  Yes.
    33
    34   Q.   About 12 or so a minute?
    35        A.  That is right.  I think they rotate so that they are
    36        not on that line for too long.  When you see them you are
    37        aware of them leaving the line and being replaced by
    38        others, so that they are not stuck on that line for too
    39        long.
    40
    41   Q.   Do you know what the rotation is?
    42        A.  No, I do not.  I am just aware that it does happen, but
    43        I am not sure of the exact details.
    44
    45   Q.   I once worked as a student in a factory where the work was
    46        so boring that you had seven spots where you changed every
    47        20 minutes.  Is it as often as that?
    48        A.  Certainly they do not change as often as that, but they
    49        do have a system of rotation for a lot of these jobs.
    50 
    51   Q.   To help the concentration and different muscles? 
    52        A.  Yes. 
    53
    54   Q.   Using different muscles?
    55        A.  Exactly.  It is important for all sorts of reasons,
    56        yes.
    57
    58   Q.   You have to move pretty briskly when you are hanging them
    59        on by the sound of it?
    60        A.  Yes, it is very hard work.  Catching itself is very

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