Day 069 - 19 Dec 94 - Page 59
1 Q. But in those 100, 120 days that they are in the feed lot in
2 Australia, do you know whether they got cleaned out or
3 whether ---
4 A. No, I have no way of ---
5
6 Q. -- the dung just remained there?
7 A. -- I have no way of knowing. What I saw looked good.
8 I did see some manure. I saw manure that it was dry and
9 piled up in a little corner or a environment/index.html">litter area. That is one
10 way of cleaning. If it dries up, it will not smell, it
11 will not do anything; it will just dry up.
12
13 Q. When you say "in a corner" are you saying that they have
14 been dried out and then been stacked in a corner or
15 something?
16 A. They could use a tractor to form a pile, yes.
17
18 Q. But they could not do that unless they cleared the cows out
19 first, could they?
20 A. I do not know how they could have done; I was not there
21 when they did.
22
23 Q. Is there enough room to drive a tractor through a feed
24 lot ---
25 A. Oh, yes.
26
27 Q. -- that is full of cows?
28 A. Yes, there is plenty of room.
29
30 Q. There is?
31 A. Yes, there is.
32
33 Q. Are you aware of any problems when cattle change from a
34 grass fed diet to a mainly grain diet?
35 A. An I aware of some problems? Let me tell you what
36 happens. If you do not -- when you move an animal from a
37 pasture to a grass, you cannot give him that high energy
38 diet overnight. It has to be a processing which you
39 gradually increase the diet so their stomach will develop
40 the bacteria necessary to break down all the nutrients and
41 take advantage of those nutrients. So, I know that exists
42 and it does not occur in a well-managed feed lot. If
43 somebody new does not know, does not have the right people,
44 it could happen, yes.
45
46 Q. If the change over is too rapid they would get quite
47 painful digestive complaints, digestive problems?
48 A. They could, they could have digestive problems; how
49 painful, I do not know, but they could have.
50
51 Q. In Australia the cattle are given hormonal growth promoters
52 there as well, are they not?
53 A. That is incorrect.
54
55 Q. That is incorrect?
56 A. That is right.
57
58 Q. Is that a recent development?
59 A. It is -- there is no need for them. They do not see
60 the need for that. Most of the customers, they do not,
