Day 091 - 17 Feb 95 - Page 44


     
     1        the US Food and Drug Administrations are organisations that
     2        should be respected?
     3        A.  Well, yes, of course.
     4
     5   Q.   If their view is that it is a risk in the human food chain,
     6        do you not think that that is something that should be
     7        taken seriously?
     8        A.  Yes, I think it is.  I do not honestly think I am
     9        arguing against that.  What I am saying is that the company
    10        responded to a request from our UK Veterinary Medicines
    11        Directorate to bring our attention to this requirement.
    12
    13   Q.   When did the Veterinary Medicine Directorate -- or when
    14        were you first aware of this?
    15        A.  I believe they notified us in, I think it was, the
    16        spring of last year.
    17
    18   Q.   You were not aware of that before then?
    19        A.  We were not aware.  I mean, obviously, I was aware that
    20        the drug had been banned in the United States and various
    21        other countries.  But the fact was it was still permitted
    22        in Europe and in the UK, and nobody had any reason to
    23        suspect that there was any danger from its use because, as
    24        I said before, there had been no human cases, illness or
    25        otherwise, reported as a result of the use of this drug in
    26        animals.
    27
    28   Q.   Do you feel that that is a responsible position to take,
    29        that you have to wait until a human gets cancer and you can
    30        prove that it was as a result of this drug before you have
    31        to stop using it?
    32        A.  I think you have to take a balance of risk assessment
    33        and you have to look at the history of this drug that has
    34        been used in the animal industry for the last 30 years and
    35        30 years is an awful long time.  Surely, during that time
    36        if there had been any problem with the use of this drug, we
    37        should have become aware of it a long time ago, bearing in
    38        mind it was a very widely used drug too.  So, are you
    39        talking about risk assessment.
    40
    41   Q.   Right, but if another country bans it, you do not feel that
    42        is enough to be concerned about it then, to be concerned
    43        enough to stop using it?
    44        A.  I think it is enough to take note of what they are
    45        doing.  I do not think we should automatically respond to
    46        everything that happens in every country of the world.
    47
    48   Q.   Did any of your customers ask you to stop using this drug?
    49        A.  When the various press reports came out, we had letters
    50        from many customers asking us to stop using this compound, 
    51        but we had already taken action anyway. 
    52 
    53   Q.   That was the first time your customers got in contact with
    54        you?
    55        A.  The customers only contacted us when the reports
    56        appeared in the newspapers.
    57
    58   Q.   So that was around the middle of last year?
    59        A.  I think it was early last year, probably around April,
    60        May.

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