Day 079 - 27 Jan 95 - Page 40
1
2 MS. STEEL: It is not defined as bad in EEC terms because the
3 EEC do not have any guidelines on ---
4 A. No.
5
6 Q. -- the microbiological?
7 A. No, bacteriological standards in the EEC directives.
8
9 MR. JUSTICE BELL: Do you mean you have never had experience of
10 meat coming to McKey that could not be used which was not
11 fit for human consumption which has got that far?
12 A. My Lord, I cannot remember any. I have seen meat that
13 bad -- but not in McKey's context -- in my own meat
14 experience context. My Lord, the sort of thing that would
15 cause that was if a lorry was coming to the plant and there
16 had been a refrigeration breakdown on the lorry and the
17 meat had been at a high temperature for a number of hours.
18
19 Q. It should not leave the boning room if it is unfit for
20 human consumption; it should not do?
21 A. It would not, sir. For the meat to leave the abattoir
22 and boning room, sir, the veterinary officer has to sign
23 the documents.
24
25 Q. I know, I still say "should not" because if you have been a
26 lawyer for over 30 years you know that things go wrong ---
27 A. Yes, sir
28
29 Q. -- but it should not be, and you actually cannot remember
30 any coming into McKey which was unfit for human
31 consumption?
32 A. No, sir.
33
34 Q. That is what you are saying?
35 A. I cannot remember that, sir.
36
37 MS. STEEL: But that is only stuff that smells and looks and
38 feels like it is "off"?
39 A. I said that, I think, in answer to your question of how
40 would you know. Meat for McKey is always less than four
41 degrees when it arrives, internal temperature, and if it is
42 over four degrees it is rejected. That is a cast-iron
43 rejection and I have known many rejections of meat arriving
44 on the loading dock over four degrees.
45
46 Q. Then would it get sent back to the suppliers?
47 A. Straightaway.
48
49 MR. MORRIS: Just on that last point, if it arrives quite often,
50 you said, under four degrees it would be sent back to the
51 suppliers, yes?
52 A. No, I said if it arrives over four degrees.
53
54 MR. MORRIS: Sorry, I mean over four degrees; that happens quite
55 often, yes, you said?
56 A. No, it does not happen quite often. I have said I have
57 known it often happen over the years; it is the most usual
58 reason for rejection.
59
60 Q. Right.
