Day 067 - 15 Dec 94 - Page 21
1 A. That is a fairly general statement when it compares to
2 the normal broiler. You can go around the world, you can
3 go around the US and find that differences within the same
4 species, within the same breed of chickens. You can go
5 into a farm and find broilers that are twice the size of
6 their peers, that are twice the size of their brothers and
7 sisters.
8
9 We have developed a better breed of chickens because they
10 are grown under a controlled environment where they are
11 taken care of, where appropriate nutrition is given, where
12 they have access to water consistently, where the
13 environment is controlled, where the diseases are
14 controlled. It is for that reason that those breeds that
15 are specifically designed or selected to grow under those
16 conditions develop a higher weight.
17
18 Q. Does it actually have any benefit for the chicken to grow
19 to twice the size that it would normally be?
20 A. It is, yes.
21
22 Q. It has benefits?
23 A. It is a benefit because it is a healthier animal, and
24 the weight will tell you -- the weight is a significant
25 factor that will tell you the health of the animal, a sick
26 animal, an animal that is under stress, will not gain
27 weight, will not reproduce. That is a common -- that is
28 nature. That is Mother Nature. That is the way it works.
29
30 Q. Is that really true?
31 A. Yes, it is true. You can just go to a hospital and
32 look at people who are sick; you can go and look at any
33 animal who is sick and it will lose weight.
34
35 Q. So people who get overweight only get overweight if they
36 are healthy; is that right?
37
38 MR. JUSTICE BELL: No, hold on a moment because you have to
39 distinguish between fat and muscle. If you are going to
40 draw that analogy, you had better ask how much of
41 Mr. McDonald is healthy flesh and how much is fat and so
42 on. If you are suggesting that Mr. McDonald is the
43 equivalent of someone who is obese, then put that.
44
45 MS. STEEL: No, I am not. I am trying challenge the assumption
46 that animals will not put on weight unless they are healthy
47 and happy. That is all.
48
49 MR. JUSTICE BELL: Yes. Direct it at that rather than the human
50 race because that might be rather more useful in this
51 context.
52
53 MS. STEEL (To the witness): You are asserting that in nature
54 animals (and I presume humans are included because humans
55 are animals) will not put on weight if they are not healthy
56 and happy; is that what you are asserting?
57 A. What I am saying that, in general, if you make a
58 comparison and take twins, and if one of those twins is
59 subjected to stress, is subjected to diseases, that twin
60 will weigh less than his twin brother or sister. That is a
