Day 090 - 16 Feb 95 - Page 62
1 to bacterial or viral infections, for instance, which
2 affect the legs of the bird to its genetic makeup?
3 A. Well, this is something -----
4
5 Q. I mean, your susceptibility to infection can be affected by
6 your genetic makeup, can it not?
7 A. Yes, I think that is absolutely right and I think the
8 answer to your question is that I really do not know.
9 Femoral head necrosis is a condition that was first
10 described in about 1978, as described in Holland, and
11 progressively over the years it has become more common.
12 So, you could say that there is a possibility that the
13 increasing incidence of it relates to a change in the
14 genetic material of the breeding stock. But you could also
15 relate it to a changing population of bacteria and viruses
16 in the poultry farm environment. So, really we do not know
17 the answer to your question.
18
19 MS. STEEL: Viruses that have become more frequent?
20 A. That is correct, yes, that is correct. There is, for
21 example, a virus, a rio virus, which is well-described in
22 Holland as a cause of femoral head necrosis. We do not
23 believe that that virus is very common in the UK, but
24 usually it is only a matter of time before we get
25 infections that have occurred in other parts of the world.
26
27 Q. The system of having a lot of birds in one shed means that
28 those viruses can spread much more rapidly?
29 A. Yes, that would apply with any species where you have
30 larger numbers congregated, there is greater potential for
31 the multiplication of bacteria and viruses.
32
33 Q. More than half of your birds suffer from some kind of leg
34 problem, do they not?
35 A. No, not at all.
36
37 MR. MORRIS: When Mr. Gregory did his only analysis, only 39 per
38 cent of the birds had what he called a perfect gait, the
39 birds that he looked at, although he did not actually look
40 at any birds that were in such a poor condition that they
41 should be culled. So, it was his expert opinion -- this is
42 actually in his statement on page 4 of his statement -- do
43 you accept his view as an expert on the grading system of
44 gait scores between 0 and 5?
45
46 MR. JUSTICE BELL: I think you had better put to him a bit more
47 precisely than that. It was not only in his statement, he
48 gave evidence and was examined and cross-examined about
49 it.
50
51 MR. MORRIS: Yes.
52
53 MR. JUSTICE BELL: If you think it came down to a situation
54 where a certain percentage had grade 1, 2, 3, 4 or 5, or
55 whatever it was, put those figures to him.
56
57 MR. MORRIS: In his statement on page 4 he says -----
58
59 MR. JUSTICE BELL: You are familiar with the gait grades, are
60 you?
