Day 088 - 13 Feb 95 - Page 72


     
     1        manager or each farmer who is responsible for each pig
     2        unit.  That is a very difficult decision to come to.  It is
     3        a situation where the manager is trying to protect the
     4        young again, and it is all decided upon on an individual
     5        pig by pig, manager by manager basis, or farmer by farmer
     6        basis.
     7
     8   Q.   They are also used to prevent pigs from routing very deep
     9        trenches in fields; that is right, is it not?
    10        A.  Well, that will do that as well, but the important
    11        thing is the routing in the nest, in the ark, the beds, so
    12        that the little pigs do not roll down and fall under the
    13        sow.  That is the bit that is of paramount importance.
    14
    15   Q.   Some farmers are concerned about preventing routing of very
    16        deep trenches because that might cause problems if the pigs
    17        are farmed as part of crop rotation, or something like
    18        that?
    19        A.  That is no problem for us whatsoever, because we choose
    20        the soil that is very easily turned back to being a level
    21        field again after the pigs have been on.
    22
    23   Q.   But some suppliers might have those problems?
    24        A.  No, because they have to have the specification of
    25        having the pigs on the right type of land.
    26
    27   Q.   Putting in a nose ring is carried out without anaesthetic,
    28        is it not?
    29        A.  It is carried out under the direction of a vet.  If he
    30        thinks it is necessary to anaesthetize the snout he will.
    31        If he does not, he will not.
    32
    33   Q.   Mostly it is carried out without anaesthetic?
    34        A.  Either/or.
    35
    36   Q.   It is not actually necessary to have a vet present, is it,
    37        to put in a nose ring?
    38        A.  No.  It is just the same, I suppose, when one comes to
    39        put a ring in a human nose.  It is just the same sort of
    40        thing.  I do not suppose you have to have a doctor present.
    41
    42   Q.   So, if one of the managers decided they wanted to put in a
    43        nose ring they could do it themselves?
    44        A.  That is at his discretion; that would be discussed with
    45        the vets beforehand and they would come and inspect the
    46        situation to see the problems and then a decision would be
    47        given.
    48
    49   Q.   Well, do you know that they always do that?
    50        A.  On our farms -- we have veterinary visits going on 
    51        around our farms, I would say, in a situation of going 
    52        around our farms every two or three weeks, and those 
    53        decisions will be asked and discussed then, or, shall
    54        I say, the problems discussed; a decision come to.
    55
    56   Q.   The vets, presumably, have other things to talk about.  Do
    57        you know that they actually do get consulted on this every
    58        time?
    59        A.  Definitely.  One cannot say every time, but, you know,
    60        definitely they are consulted as a principle of proper pig

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