Day 288 - 28 Oct 96 - Page 42


     
     1        materials used in the food for the chickens which produce
     2        wet and sticky droppings in poultry and obviously we would
     3        wish to avoid those."  He referred to using enzymes in the
     4        feed to improve the digestibility of the ingredients and
     5        said that they seemed to help the working of the environment/index.html">litter,
     6        they found a big improvement in environment/index.html">litter conditions since
     7        they started to use the enzymes in the food.
     8
     9        Just with reference to the point that I made a minute ago,
    10        Mr. Rampton actually asked on day 89, page 36, line 18 --
    11        this is directly after the question about the improvement
    12        in environment/index.html">litter conditions after changing to use enzymes in the
    13        feed -- "What problems do you face if the environment/index.html">litter is too wet
    14        too damp?"  Dr. Patteson said, "If the environment/index.html">litter is damp, for
    15        whatever reason it makes it very uncomfortable for the
    16        birds.  They can develop sores on the feet or sores on the
    17        hocks causing hock scabs."  Mr. Rampton asked, "Is hock
    18        burn, as I think it's called, directly related to the
    19        humidity or dampness?"  Dr. Patteson said, "Hock burn is
    20        related to the wetness of the environment/index.html">litter."
    21
    22        So clearly, there have been changes coming in since the
    23        time of the alleged distribution of the fact sheet which
    24        have reduced some of the problems, although obviously, we
    25        say, they are still considerable problems and cause
    26        considerable suffering to the birds that are affected.
    27        I think that it is, effectively, a recognition by Dr.
    28        Patteson that the conditions that lead -- or the fact that
    29        birds suffer from these problems such as hock burn is
    30        unacceptable and that it should be prevented, and I am sure
    31        if there were not financial considerations to be taken into
    32        account it would be prevented, and it could be prevented.
    33        But, obviously the problem is not going to be solved while
    34        the industry is intent on cramming as many birds as
    35        possible into as small a space as possible in order to
    36        maximize their profits.
    37
    38        Just on that point, another thing that Dr. Gregory said was
    39        that infectious causes of leg problems were "problems
    40        common to the industry", and that was on day 90, page 58,
    41        line 51.
    42
    43        If I just say, about the photographs which I put to Dr.
    44        Patteson that I had taken, there is a reference to them on
    45        day 90, page 39.  First I asked about the hock burn being
    46        more of a problem with the old type drinkers and Dr.
    47        Patteson said, "Yes, it was a problem from time to time if
    48        you had any significance drinker spillage."  Then I asked
    49        him to look at the photograph, and he said that the bell
    50        drinkers that were shown in the photograph were the type 
    51        that he had been talking about. 
    52 
    53        On page 41 of that same day, I asked him about the feed
    54        system which was shown in the photograph and he said that
    55        the feed system - line 3, "The feed system is a track
    56        feeder which we call a Dutchman feeder, it is a trough
    57        which had a chain at the bottom.  It is one of the more
    58        old-fashioned types of system."  He said they are now being
    59        phased out in favour of more modern systems which have the
    60        advantage of far less spillage, and the other problem with

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