Day 103 - 14 Mar 95 - Page 43
1 Q. So, are you assuming that it is OK not to give them food
2 and water, it is not something you have actually
3 investigated?
4 A. It is not something I have investigated, no.
5
6 Q. In the mixed sheds of the broilers are the food troughs
7 separate for males and females, because it is on a
8 conveyor, is it not?
9 A. Yes.
10
11 Q. Are they separate for the males and females?
12 A. No, not usually, no.
13
14 Q. The males would continue to get antibiotics up to five days
15 before they are slaughtered?
16 A. We do not feed antibiotics as routine. If they had to
17 be treated with therapeutic antibiotic, we would give that
18 answer it was required with the appropriate withdrawal
19 time.
20
21 Q. But the withdrawal time would be different for the females
22 and the males, would it not?
23 A. Withdrawal time for a drug is the same whether it is
24 males or females.
25
26 Q. Yes, but they would go to slaughter at different times?
27 A. They do, yes.
28
29 Q. So if you were wanting to treat the males for some reason,
30 the females would also be getting the antibiotics?
31 A. Yes, they would.
32
33 Q. They would not be withdrawn five days prior to slaughter.
34 A. They would; we always observe the withdrawal times,
35 although it is not always five days.
36
37 Q. So if it is five days before the females are going to
38 slaughter, you would stop treating the males for whatever
39 problem they were ---
40 A. We would have to ---
41
42 Q. -- suffering from?
43 A. -- we have to do that to observe the withdrawal time,
44 yes.
45
46 Q. Yes. Is it what happens in practice?
47 A. Yes, it is. I mean, it is a logistical problem
48 sometimes which we are faced with.
49
50 Q. So what would happen to the males that were being treated
51 for some disease?
52 A. Well, you are generally treating a whole house and if
53 you are having to withdraw the antibiotic, you have to
54 withdraw the antibiotic and there is no other option that
55 you have. The only thing is that on water medication there
56 is generally a shorter withdrawal time than there is on
57 feed medication. So, the most flexible way to treat them
58 at that critical stage is you to use the drinking water
59 route, and on most of those you have a 48 hour withdrawal
60 time. On one antibiotic, you have a 24 hour withdrawal
