Day 018 - 26 Jul 94 - Page 78


     
     1        A.  Right.  Over the past 10 years -- take that as a time
              base -- I would say this is where there have been most
     2        improvements in the case of poultry.  It is not
              necessarily, I think, to the credit of the Ministry of
     3        Agriculture.  I think it is more to the credit of the
              OVS's in the plant.  They have been more aware of the
     4        pressures and knowledge that has been created about how to
              improve stunning in slaughter.  I think they have reacted
     5        accordingly.  They are very sensitive.  I will give you
              one example.
     6
         MR. MORRIS:  Could you say what OVS is?
     7        A.  Official Veterinary Service.
 
     8   MR. JUSTICE BELL:  That is one of the local government ----
              A.  Correct.  I will give you one example which I think
     9        explains my point, and that is whereas about 10 years ago
              I would be called in to a poultry slaughter house because
    10        there was a problem with the welfare of the birds, it was
              thought they were recovering consciousness, and in some
    11        situations that was actually the case.  Now I am called in
              to poultry slaughter houses with the same complaint but,
    12        in fact, the difference is that they are not actually
              killing the birds at stunning.  They are stunned but
    13        people confuse stunning and killing; that is whether the
              bird has a cardiac arrest at stunning or whether it is
    14        actually insensible. So, they are looking for a bird that
              comes out of the water bath stunned that is completely
    15        relaxed.  That is the criteria they are asking. The
              criteria has been put upon them by some of the
    16        supermarkets.  Supermarkets regularly go round these
              processing plants and they say, "I saw a bird twitch on
    17        the line", and people get rather upset about it.  I get
              called in to that situation to arbitrate in a way, to give
    18        a balanced view. Quite often it is because they are not
              getting a cardiac arrest at stunning, whereas they think
    19        in fact they might be conscious.  That has happened on a
              number of occasions.
    20
         Q.   So some supermarkets want the birds they are supplied with
    21        to be -- is it stun killed?
              A.  Well, they do not want to see any twitching or
    22        anything which they might think is a conscious bird.
 
    23   Q.   Right.
              A.  Sometimes -- what I am saying is that is a
    24        misinterpretation of the situation.  It might be a final
              gesture of the bird due to a physical activity which is
    25        unrelated to consciousness.
  
    26   Q.   Is that a specification, though, of some supermarkets? 
              A.  I do not know.  I have never read supermarket 
    27        specification in the context of stunning and slaughter.  I
              do not know.
    28
         Q.   Right.  To move on to the rearing side of things, what
    29        sort of recommendations and improvements have gone on on
              that side of things?
    30        A.  About two years ago I think there was a report on
              transportation, the FAWC report, Farm Animal Welfare

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