Day 288 - 28 Oct 96 - Page 35


     
     1   MS. STEEL:   Page 21, line 55.
     2
     3        On the subject of the stocking density, despite the fact
     4        that Mark Patteson was on the committee of the Farm Animal
     5        Welfare Council, which had produced the report on the
     6        welfare of broiler chickens for the government,
     7        Mr. Patteson accepted that Sun Valley are not complying
     8        with its recommendations, that being the recommendation
     9        which is found on page 10 of the report on the welfare of
    10        broiler chickens.  I cannot actually remember the reference
    11        for it.  I do not know if you need it.  I can find it, if
    12        you want me to.  (Pause)
    13
    14        It is actually defendants' supplementary list of documents,
    15        bundle 2, document 27.  And paragraph 23 of that report on
    16        page 10 says:  We therefore recommend that 34 kilograms per
    17        meter square is retained as the maximum stocking density
    18        which should not be exceeded at any time during the growing
    19        period and that this maximum is controlled by regulation as
    20        soon as possible.
    21
    22        Despite being on the committee which made that
    23        recommendation, Mr. Patteson seems to think that it need
    24        not apply to Sun Valley whose stocking density in the --
    25        well, he said it was generally 36.5 kilograms per meter
    26        square.  That was on day 89, page 39, line 54.  In actual
    27        fact, when Dr. Gregory visited the unit which he saw, and
    28        this is on page 4 of his statement, records that he had
    29        calculated that the stocking density for that shed was 36.7
    30        kilograms per meter square.
    31
    32        Dr. Patteson accepted that the birds have less space each
    33        than an A4 sheet of paper, but he said that he did not
    34        believe it was cruel.  Well, that is his opinion.  We
    35        certainly do believe it is cruel and we think that a great
    36        number of people would believe that it was cruel if they
    37        were aware of it.  In our view, that undermines his
    38        credibility with regards to being able to judge cruelty
    39        when he cannot even accept the recommendations made by a
    40        committee which he is part of, which are really the minimum
    41        recommendations which are set, taking into consideration
    42        economic factors, not solely welfare factors.  Obviously,
    43        if priority was given to welfare factors, the stocking
    44        density would be much, much lower.
    45        When we asked Dr. Patteson about why the company had not
    46        reduced stocking density, he agreed that economics were a
    47        very important factor.  In fact, he said a cause.
    48
    49        On the same page of the Farm Animal Welfare Council Report
    50        on the welfare of broiler chickens, that is page 10, under 
    51        21B it says that any bird wishing to move from a crowded 
    52        area to a more open space should be able to do so.  And 
    53        again, Dr. Patteson admitted that at Sun Valley, towards
    54        the end of their days the chickens would not be able to do
    55        that, and he agreed that in the last three or four days
    56        that maybe they would not be able to move from a crowded
    57        area to more open space.  So that is a second breach of the
    58        recommendations.  (Pause)
    59
    60        Initially, when we asked Dr. Patteson about why the

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