Day 077 - 25 Jan 95 - Page 42
1
2 Q. Before. That was January 1991, so that may help you?
3 A. Oh, it must have been 1990. This young lady saw this
4 new technique and technology and off her own bat (which is
5 something which we encourage) started just random testing
6 for it. So, we were looking for it for some time.
7
8 MR. JUSTICE BELL: Do I need to know anything about the 0157:
9 H7? Are there many E.colis or just one?
10 A. There are many -- sir, there are many E. colis. There
11 are 184 named typed E. colis, but the dangerous pathogen
12 which everybody is worrying about now is E.coli 0157: H.
13
14 Q. That is one of 184, is it?
15 A. Yes, sir.
16
17 Q. Thank you.
18
19 MR. RAMPTON: Can you have a look at paragraphs 2 and 3 on this
20 page, please, Mr. Walker?
21 A. Yes.
22
23 Q. Sorry, paragraph 2 which is in two parts is what I meant.
24 It contains provisions about traceability all the way back
25 to auction mart/farm; is that right?
26 A. Yes.
27
28 Q. What is the purpose of those requirements?
29 A. If any problem these days, not only E.coli, is
30 identified, it has become a requirement to be able to trace
31 the source of that problem right back to the farm. Within
32 McKey Food Service from our code, we have always known
33 whose meat was in whose box, but now with the co-operation
34 of the Ministry by use of the year tag number which every
35 beast has, you can trace the animal right back to the farm.
36
37 Q. Now the position is then that the supplier must test for
38 E.coli?
39 A. Yes.
40
41 Q. By "E.coli" I mean the variety which is identified here --
42 you yourself do tests for E.coli?
43 A. Yes.
44
45 Q. If it is identified in more than an acceptable quantity
46 (and we will look at the quantities in a moment), you can
47 trace it back to where it came from?
48 A. Yes.
49
50 Q. How often does it happen in practice that either your
51 supplier or you yourselves find unacceptable quantities of
52 E.coli bacteria in a piece of meat supplied to you?
53 A. Firstly, sir, in the McDonald's context any E.coli is
54 unacceptable.
55
56 Q. Any?
57 A. Any; it is not a matter of total count. If you
58 identify E.coli 0157 : H, that particular batch of meat is
59 finished. The answer to your question, sir, is that since
60 we have been testing we have found it once in meat and that
