Day 094 - 01 Mar 95 - Page 54


     
     1        that meat.
     2
     3   Q.   If it was shut down, you would not be able to anyway.  But
     4        if it is found that a slaughterhouse has violations of
     5        hygiene regulations but not so extreme that it is not shut
     6        down, you would still accept meat from that company?
     7        A.  Let me put it this way:  If the meat is safe, we will
     8        accept it.  There is not a "yes" or "no" answer.  They will
     9        have, under the best conditions, minor violations.  Am I to
    10        expect that everything is going to be perfect?  We cannot
    11        do that.  Nothing is perfect in this world, especially when
    12        it comes nature.  Nobody in the world can do that.
    13
    14   Q.   So violations are inevitable, you say?
    15        A.  It is part of the variation.  "Violation" you have to
    16        define what type of violation.
    17
    18   Q.   Violations of hygiene regulations are inevitable, you are
    19        saying?
    20        A.  No, violation of hygiene, we do not accept that.
    21
    22   MR. JUSTICE BELL:  You mean if someone gets convicted for a
    23        hygiene thing, you would say:  "Right, no more meat from
    24        you"?
    25        A.  Absolutely.
    26
    27   Q.   You would?  You would not just look into it and form a
    28        judgment on whether this was just one of those things which
    29        might happen from time to time?
    30        A.  That is correct.
    31
    32   MS. STEEL:  So what are the other minor violations that you
    33        would accept then, what are they in relation to?
    34        A.  We could spend the next three days talking about that.
    35        Do you have any specific questions?
    36
    37   Q.   Just general categories of what those kinds of violations
    38        you are talking?
    39        A.  OK.  An inspector will consider -- now this is
    40        switching now from the performance based inspection, the
    41        one that we talked this morning about, it is totally
    42        different.  Now we are switching to a really hygiene
    43        estimation of plant or product that is in movement.  If an
    44        inspector finds somebody that is walking into a processing
    45        line, even before he goes to the line, and has a hairnet in
    46        summer and an inch of the hair is coming out of the net, it
    47        will be a major violation, even though it does not
    48        represent any immediate safety hazard, but they will do
    49        that and they will record it.  Those kinds of things, we
    50        accept it. 
    51 
    52   Q.   That is something that is connected to hygiene, though? 
    53        A.  Yes, it is.
    54
    55   Q.   So with minor hygiene violations you would make a decision
    56        on whether you thought it affected the meat?
    57        A.  We make decision not in terms of the number of
    58        violations.  We make decisions on the wholesomeness of the
    59        meat, period.
    60

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