Day 290 - 30 Oct 96 - Page 20


     
     1        reference for that somewhere, actually.
     2
     3   MR. JUSTICE BELL:   Yes.  (Pause).
     4
     5   MS. STEEL:   He said that their company used to wean pigs at 21
     6        days old, now they weaned them at 24 days old.  That was
     7        day 88, page 7, line 44.  He said that they had made a
     8        change during the last year for purely commercial reasons.
     9        Obviously it was 1995 when Mr. Bowes gave evidence so that
    10        would have been 1994 that they made the change.  He said
    11        that we found we could still wean at 24 days without any
    12        detriment commercially.
    13
    14   MR. JUSTICE BELL:  Yes, I am not sure that meant it was done for
    15        commercial reasons.  If I remember correctly, he would
    16        obviously like to wean them as late as possible within
    17        reason and they found they could let it go another three
    18        days without any commercial downside.  Was that not it,
    19        really?
    20
    21   MS. STEEL:   That is the point, the obvious point being that if
    22        it had been to their detriment commercially they would not
    23        have done it.
    24
    25   MR. JUSTICE BELL:  Dr. Gregory had said 21 days, when he saw
    26        them.  If it was up to the sow, it would be later than
    27        eight weeks.
    28
    29   MS. STEEL:   Yes.  When the pigs were weaned, they would be put
    30        into the kennel system.  And that was dealt with on page 7,
    31        line 32.
    32
    33   MR. JUSTICE BELL:  Yes.
    34
    35   MS. STEEL:   Both the outdoor and the indoor pigs were weaned at
    36        the same age.  He said that on the company's own farms the
    37         -- actually it was a bit confusing because he said on the
    38        company's own farms all the weaners went outside into
    39        outdoor kennels, but he then said later on that the
    40        kennels, his brother's farm, which obviously is part of the
    41        same company, the kennels for the weaners there were
    42        indoors.  I am just trying to find a reference.  (Pause).
    43
    44   MR. JUSTICE BELL:   Well, it may not matter very much.  There
    45        was a stage at which all weaned pigs, according to
    46        Dr. Gregory anyway, and you may have the note of what
    47        Mr. Bowes said, were put into indoor accommodation, that
    48        was about 40 kilos live weight.
    49
    50   MS. STEEL:   That is right.  But, I mean, the evidence was a bit 
    51        confusing from Mr. Bowes, because he said that -- I am not 
    52        trying to say he was doing this deliberately but---- 
    53
    54   MR. JUSTICE BELL:   He may have misunderstood a question.
    55
    56   MS. STEEL:   He kept on referring to the company's own farms.
    57        I think that he was just referring to, I do not know, I do
    58        not know whether it is the farm that he lives on, because
    59        the fact is that he did say that his brother -- the weaners
    60        went into indoor kennels for them at his brother's farm.

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