Day 020 - 28 Jul 94 - Page 56


     
     1        of your question?
 
     2   Q.   For starters, yes?
              A.  Well, the answer is weaning would be later than three
     3        weeks in a wild situation.
 
     4   Q.   What about in what we might call a natural farmyard, an
              old fashioned farmyard?
     5        A.  OK, I understand.  I understand that last point.
 
     6   MR. JUSTICE BELL:  I was going to say someone who kept pigs as
              part of a herd or two method of operation?
     7        A.  I think I can help with this in a slightly different
              way, but stop me if I am not.  When I was about the age of
     8        15, it would have been common for farmers to wean pigs at
              eight weeks of age; by the time I reached about the age of
     9        23, 25, it would have been five weeks, and now it is three
              weeks.
    10
         MS. STEEL:   It is coming down?
    11        A.  Yes, but I suggest that it will not get any lower than
              three weeks.  It is extremely unlikely it will get less
    12        than three weeks.
 
    13   Q.   It is not something that occurs in nature, is it?
              Normally pigs are fairly sort of sociable?
    14        A.  If it were up to the sow to decide when the piglets
              were going to be weaned, then it would be later than eight
    15        weeks.
 
    16   Q.   So we can safely assume that the sow is not going to be
              particularly happy about having the piglets taken away at
    17        three weeks?
              A.  I cannot assume that.
    18
         Q.   You do not think so?
    19        A.  In some respects the piglets, although she may have
              great affection for them, they might irritate her in some
    20        respect.  It is something that is very difficult to decide
              one way or another how the sow feels.
    21
         Q.   They might be irritated in nature, but the mother pig
    22        would not be likely to run off and leave them?
              A.  There would be mothering, a mothering ---
    23
         MR. JUSTICE BELL:  Instinct?
    24        A.  -- would still be there.
 
    25   MS. STEEL:   OK.
              A.  Thank you. 
    26 
         Q.   Actually what do you think the piglets think?  Do you 
    27        think they prefer to be with their mother?
              A.  It is difficult to say but, no doubt, the piglets get
    28        satisfaction from the milk they are deriving from the sow,
              otherwise they would not be drinking it, and they would
    29        continue drinking it up to eight weeks of age, at least,
              if they were given the opportunity to, so you are
    30        depriving them of a source of nutrition which they would
              otherwise enjoy.

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