Day 061 - 05 Dec 94 - Page 54
1 slightest bit interest in the welfare of the animals; your
2 only interest is in making money out of those animals and
3 conforming to the laws, being seen to conform with the laws
4 of the country, which you have just said what your welfare
5 policy in fact is; it just the laws and the guidelines of
6 the country? That was a question.
7 A. Oh, was it?
8
9 Q. I am putting it to you that you do not have any animal
10 welfare.
11
12 MR. JUSTICE BELL: Just put it simply. What is being put to you
13 is that McDonald's do not care about the animals (we are on
14 chickens particularly at the moment) which are processed
15 into food sold at McDonald's outlets, that McDonald's only
16 concern is to turn a good profit; that is what is being put
17 to you.
18 A. The answer to the question is the same as it was
19 earlier, and that is that our job is to conform to the
20 industry standards and the industry codes of practice.
21 I am not sure that the horror story that Mr. Morris
22 referred to right there would be any different if the
23 chickens came from the farmyard; may be even worse. I know
24 for a fact from farmers I have spoken to that many chickens
25 in free range farmyards actually go around with bones and
26 fractures for all of their life, not the last week or so.
27
28 MR. MORRIS: We are talking about your company, what it does and
29 your claims ----
30 A. I have answered that.
31
32 Q. --- about having any welfare considerations at all for
33 animals in your care beyond what the law stipulates or the
34 guidelines stipulate?
35 A. Oh, I agree with that; we do not go beyond what the law
36 stipulates. We work within the letter of the law until
37 somebody tells us that we are not and then we will correct
38 that situation.
39
40 MS. STEEL: The codes of practice are not, strictly speaking,
41 law according to Mr. Gregory, and I believe that is
42 correct. They are recommendations in order to ensure some
43 kind of welfare for the animals, although obviously it is
44 quite a big area of dispute; there are a lot of people
45 thinking they are not sufficient. Talking about the
46 slaughter of chickens, on 28th July on page 24 of the
47 transcript the question is asked: "Just going back to the
48 point about some birds may appear to be effectively
49 stunned, but they could come around before they actually
50 die. That is why the codes of practice recommend that
51 unless, if there is not a cardiac arrest then both carotid
52 arteries are cut in order to produce a humane kill?"
53 Dr. Gregory said "Yes." Question: "Neither of those
54 methods was used in February?" He said: "Yes, neither were
55 used". Then he was asked: "Despite the recommendation that
56 you made after your visit, neither of these methods was
57 being used by the time of your second visit?" He said that
58 was correct. So, he appears ----
59
60 MR. RAMPTON: Read on, please.
