Day 114 - 04 Apr 95 - Page 53


     
     1        keep you on what I consider to be the proper road.
     2
     3   MR. MORRIS:  Dr. Long wants to comment.  If you can get the
     4        material out that you have -- let us see what it is -- that
     5        you wanted to comment on.  I believe you had the list, the
     6        forms, that were filled in from around the world.  There
     7        were some specific things there you wanted to comment on
     8        that were practices that did not happen in this country?
     9        A.  I was shown various -----
    10
    11   Q.   Can you get them out?
    12        A.  Yes, they are here.  I was shown this information
    13        and, in my scientific way, I looked at them to see if they
    14        were indications of good practice and what I thought.  One
    15        thing that struck me was there was quite a number of
    16        inconsistencies.  For instance, generally speaking, one
    17        would expect a good practice that the answers to most of
    18        those questions would be "yes".  But, if you look at the
    19        reports for Costa Rica, a number of the practices seem to
    20        be recognised with a "no".  In the stunning practice -- you
    21        referred to this before -- apparently that was done with a
    22         .22 rifle.
    23
    24   Q.   Is there any concern you have about that?
    25        A.  Yes, it would not be acceptable in this country.
    26
    27   Q.   Because?
    28        A.  Because it would infringe the rules on slaughter of
    29        animals, slaughter of farm animals.
    30
    31   Q.   Yes, but would it cause the animals any particular
    32        suffering or pain?
    33        A.  Because it is not very accurate, it is regarded as
    34        unacceptable because you might miss or might put the bullet
    35        in the wrong place.  Then, if you look at this document,
    36        the question of the flooring used, whether it should be
    37        acceptable.  The answers are "no" for beef and pigs.
    38        "Gates, fences, chutes and cages have smooth surfaces to
    39        prevent bruises" the answers are "no".
    40
    41        "Noise level prior to slaughter control to reduce stress
    42        to animals?" the answers again are "no".  "Are animals
    43        protected from the cold or hot environment prior to
    44        slaughter?" again the answers are no.
    45
    46        I have been asked today many questions on these matters and
    47        these, obviously, concern me in the light of what we have
    48        heard.  "Is sufficient space provided to load and unload
    49        animals from trucks?", the answers are "no" for beef, pig
    50        and chicken. 
    51 
    52        In the case of Finland, a Scandinavian country, which 
    53        adopts stunning by carbon dioxide to pigs, the evidence
    54        that I have seen on that is that carbon dioxide is an
    55        irritant gas for poultry and for pigs, and that that method
    56        should not be used in this country, for example, for that
    57        reason.
    58
    59        In the case of Guatemala, a number of the boxes have been
    60        left vacant for beef, so that one has no idea what to say

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