Day 019 - 27 Jul 94 - Page 71
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Q. I think it is tab B.
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MR. JUSTICE BELL: Is it B again?
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MS. STEEL: Yes. The last paragraph on that page says that
4 the metal electrode of the water bath stunner did not span
the length of the water bath, and that this would lead to
5 uneven current flow through the birds as they progressed
through the water bath.
6 A. Yes.
7 Q. If the birds were only in the water bath for about four
seconds, they may not be getting sufficient current to
8 stun them properly.
9 MR. RAMPTON: My Lord, one needs to turn over the page. It may
not be an instantaneous stun, but one needs to read the
10 first paragraph on the next page.
11 MR. JUSTICE BELL: What do you say about that? Did you see
evidence of incomplete stunning on earlier occasions?
12 A. When the birds exited the bath they were stunned.
13 MS. STEEL: There are degrees of stunning, are there not? You
need to be sure that -----
14 A. Can I add one comment?
15 MR. JUSTICE BELL: Yes, do.
A. It is not possible to determine whether the birds were
16 instantaneously stunned in this sort of situation.
17 MR. JUSTICE BELL: No?
A. So we do not know what happens early on when the
18 electrode did not span the length of the bath; when the
birds came out of the bath, yes, I could do a diagnosis.
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MR. JUSTICE BELL: I thought it was being suggested to you that
20 if the electrode did not extend to the full length of the
bath, quite apart from the point you just made, it might
21 be that the birds were incompletely stunned by the time
they came out of the bath. I was asking what you say
22 about that?
A. I see. My answer still stands. So when they exited
23 the bath they were all stunned, in a stunned state.
24 MR. JUSTICE BELL: Ms. Steel started to ask you another
question arising from that.
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MS. STEEL: Right.
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MR. JUSTICE BELL: It related to degrees of stunning.
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MS. STEEL: When an animal is stunned electrically, you need
28 to be sure not just that its muscles are out of action,
you need to be sure it has actually lost its sentience or
29 feeling?
A. Yes.
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Q. That is affected, is it not, by the amount of current and
