Day 094 - 01 Mar 95 - Page 64
1
2 Q. Is it right that under the streamlining system Federal
3 inspectors only examine about three out of every 2,000
4 carcasses for contamination?
5 A. That is incorrect.
6
7 Q. What percentage do you think they ----
8 A. It is still close to 100 per cent.
9
10 Q. Still in the streamline system?
11 A. Yes.
12
13 Q. They still examine 100 per cent of carcasses?
14 A. Yes, you still have to have a veterinarian will be
15 checking for diseases.
16
17 Q. But a USDA person?
18 A. It is a USDA person. You have different types of
19 inspectors. You have, dependent on the location, at the
20 beginning of the process you have vets that will go and
21 look at the farms for diseases, for conformance to
22 regulation.
23
24 Q. What about on the line to the slaughterhouse?
25 A. At the beginning of the line you will have a vet who
26 will look for diseases. Then as the process goes through
27 and that is passed, you will have inspectors that are more
28 of a quality assurance. That will play a role, more of a
29 quality assurance role. There are two separate roles.
30 Those are the ones that are being streamlined.
31
32 Q. There would still be two USDA inspectors at the streamlined
33 plants?
34 A. Could be, yes.
35
36 Q. Could be?
37 A. Yes.
38
39 Q. So sometimes there is less?
40 A. Could be one or two.
41
42 Q. One or two?
43 A. It could be only one, yes.
44
45 Q. At the streamlined plants that you are aware of, how many
46 inspectors are there, there USDA inspectors?
47 A. To be honest, I have never noticed. If I visit the
48 plants I cannot tell you which ones are regular and which
49 ones are streamlined. The difference is not that great at
50 this point.
51
52 Q. Is it right that it is 3 per cent of meat that is tested at
53 government laboratories for residues of hormones and
54 pesticides and other residues?
55 A. Yes, that would be accurate.
56
57 Q. That would be 3 per cent of carcasses?
58 A. It is 3 per cent of volume of meat.
59
60 Q. Then what is that thrown away after their tests?
