Day 091 - 17 Feb 95 - Page 52


     
     1
     2   Q.   What about infectious stunting syndrome?
     3
     4   MR. JUSTICE BELL:  Infectious what?
     5
     6   MS. STEEL:  Stunting syndrome?
     7        A.  What about it?
     8
     9   Q.   Is that a common problem?
    10        A.  We do see the condition from time to time.  It used to
    11        be quite a big problem.  By and large, it only occurs
    12        occasionally on farms rather sporadically.  We believe it
    13        is a virus condition, a small enterovirus.  We do not
    14        really know very much about how it is transmitted.
    15
    16   Q.   That is something that is connected to the broiler farms,
    17        is it?
    18        A.  Yes, it is.
    19
    20   Q.   When you actually said farms before, you saw it on farms
    21        sporadically, you were talking about Sun Valley farms?
    22        A.  Yes.
    23
    24   MR. JUSTICE BELL:  All these things we are talking about are
    25        within the four to six-and-a-half per cent?
    26        A.  They are all causes of mortality within that, yes.
    27
    28   MS. STEEL:  Would birds necessarily die from infectious stunting
    29        syndrome?
    30        A.  No, they would not, not necessarily.  If birds are
    31        suffering from it, they normally do not grow very well and
    32        the normal practice would be to cull them.  They actually
    33        do not seem to show any outward signs, really, of disease.
    34        They are just very small.
    35
    36   Q.   What is the extent of listeriosis at Sun Valley?
    37        A.  Listeria as a disease does not occur in poultry.
    38
    39   Q.   So that only affects the meat?
    40        A.  Listeria is an organism which can occur in meat
    41        factories.  It is thought that it may be a contaminant of
    42        the intestinal tract of animals and birds, so it can be
    43        found in slaughter premises, but it is not a disease
    44        problem of poultry.
    45
    46   Q.   But is it caused by bacteria that cause a different disease
    47        in poultry?
    48        A.  No, it is a bacterial problem but it does not produce a
    49        disease in poultry, at least not one that we see.
    50 
    51   Q.   It is a problem in the meat, though, for humans? 
    52        A.  If meat is contaminated with listeria, listeria is 
    53        potentially a food poisoning organism so it would come in
    54        the same category as other food poisoning organisms, that
    55        it would have to be destroyed by proper cooking.
    56
    57   Q.   What percentage of birds at Sun Valley are affected or,
    58        sorry, what percentage have that contamination?
    59        A.  We do not know.
    60

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