Day 113 - 03 Apr 95 - Page 46


     
     1
     2        Generally speaking, the advice now is that they should go
     3        in a lighted area, they should be able to look up at a
     4        light, it should not be dark, it should be a white wall and
     5        also, rather surprisingly, they seem to go better round a
     6        curved -----
     7
     8   MR. JUSTICE BELL:  Just stop there for a moment because if, at
     9        the end of the day, you are going to say you would expect
    10        conditions in the slaughterhouses to be standard, so that
    11        such practices as you may tell me about you would expect to
    12        prevail in slaughterhouses which provide beef to McDonald's
    13        suppliers, I think what Mr. Morris wants you to do is not
    14        just say where difficulties may arise, but to give your
    15        evidence of malpractices which may cause suffering to the
    16        animals.
    17        A.  I have tried to do that by mentioning the floors, for
    18        instance.  If the floors are not satisfactory -----
    19
    20   Q.   I understand that, but what actually happens that you would
    21        complain about?
    22        A.  They would slip or they would be fouled and that would
    23        make them slip.  It would also be fortunate for them
    24        because it would be corrosive.  You might say:  "Well, they
    25        are going to be slaughtered anyway so it is not too
    26        serious", but it still is important that they should not
    27        slip; it is important they should not jostle.
    28
    29   MR. MORRIS:  Dr. Long, the important thing is when you have seen
    30        cattle entering the slaughterhouses and going through this
    31        process up to the point of killing, what have you seen that
    32        you would say is a welfare problem, have you seen, that you
    33        would in your experience see as something that would be
    34        fairly prevalent in slaughterhouses as a problem?
    35        A.  Well, it is ------
    36
    37   Q.   For example, corrosive floors, is that a regular occurrence
    38        from what you have seen?
    39        A.  It is quite regular.  Corrosive or smooth floors, also
    40        beating of some sort, excessive use of sticks and goads,
    41        clanging machinery -- cattle are sensitive to clanging
    42        machinery.  There is a lot of saws going, electric
    43        equipment, which causes commotion, causes disturbance.  One
    44        animal may upset another by pushing and shoving.  That may
    45        be because the races are too narrow.
    46
    47   MR. JUSTICE BELL:  Just pause again.  Mr. Morris quite rightly
    48        asked you what practices you thought were prevalent.
    49        A.  Well, those are prevalent.  I mean, they are not
    50        actually practices in the sense of the design of the 
    51        slaughterhouse --- 
    52 
    53   Q.   Things which happen?
    54        A.  -- may be wrong.
    55
    56   Q.   I merely interrupted you there because you said "may
    57        happen" and he, quite rightly in my view, was turning your
    58        to what does happen and does happen to a degree which might
    59        be indicative to mean that it is either fairly standard or
    60        happens often enough for me to infer that it happens to

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