Day 105 - 16 Mar 95 - Page 37


     
     1          I would not say that anybody had flouted anything;
     2        I would say that licences have been issued subject to
     3        certain structural works being carried out.
     4
     5   Q.   MAFF do not seem to be very prompt at enforcing their,
     6        I suppose you could call it an agreement or an arrangement
     7        for improvements that they are expecting?
     8        A.  That is an opinion which does not accord with my
     9        experience and many discussions and planning sessions with
    10        MAFF.
    11
    12   Q.   But you would say seven years is not prompt or is that
    13        typical?
    14        A.  Seven years is a period over which the situation has
    15        been changing.  I am not saying that any plant has been
    16        seven years refusing or otherwise not carrying out
    17        requirements that were made seven years ago.  That
    18        certainly would not happen.
    19
    20   MR. JUSTICE BELL:  Let us break off there.  You are obviously
    21        going to have contact with Mr. North at some time over the
    22        next few days and see if he can help you as to what the
    23        general structure of regulatory provisions is.  We will
    24        resume at 2 o'clock.
    25
    26                        (Luncheon adjournment)
    27
    28   MR. MORRIS:  Mr. Bennett, is it important that air be able to
    29        circulate around carcasses in the chillers?
    30        A.  Depending on the strength and efficiency of the
    31        refrigeration equipment, it is important for sufficient air
    32        to circulate in order to achieve correct cooling.
    33
    34   Q.   Is it important at Jarretts that air be able to circulate
    35        around the carcasses in the chillers?
    36        A.  Sufficient air needs to circulate.  We must talk about
    37        the point as to whether the carcasses ought to touch at
    38        all.  It is not necessary for the carcasses to be
    39        completely separate and not touching at all.  If the
    40        carcasses touch to a small degree, perhaps the front legs,
    41        in fact, might be touching in order to fill the chiller to
    42        capacity, in that case, the chiller will be able to do its
    43        job perfectly satisfactorily.
    44
    45   Q.   As long as the air can circulate around the carcasses?
    46        A.  As long as the air circulates around part of the
    47        carcass, yes.  Could I add that it automatically circulates
    48        around two sides of it because the rails on which the
    49        carcasses are hung are sufficiently separate, the carcasses
    50        next to each other might touch. 
    51 
    52   Q.   In your paragraph 40 -- there is no need to go to it -- you 
    53        say:  "The view that 'contact contamination' is likely from
    54        clean carcasses which have just been inspected and health
    55        marked is, in my opinion, erroneous".  When you say "clean
    56        carcasses" you do not mean that the carcasses have no
    57        bacterial contamination, do you?
    58        A.  No, I do not, indeed.
    59
    60   Q.   There is no such thing, is there, as carcass bacterial

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