Day 079 - 27 Jan 95 - Page 56


     
     1        tacky and if you plated that you will get a growth of 50
     2        million at least.
     3
     4   Q.   I understand it comes in and it is slimy or smells or
     5        whatever.
     6        A.  If it came in like that it would not get past the
     7        loading dock.
     8
     9   Q.   It goes.  You say you cannot remember having any like that?
    10        A.  Never.
    11
    12   Q.   But if it did come in it would go?
    13        A.  Yes, sir.
    14
    15   Q.   What I am asking for, if it did not go so that it was not
    16        even tested, suppose on this one occasion you had someone
    17        being a bit sloppy who did not, this is hypothetical but
    18        suppose who did, is there any kind of instruction which
    19        says: "If you get something which is more than 50 million
    20        grammes on bacteriological analysis that is to be
    21        condemned"?
    22        A.  Sir, in that state the production manager would not use
    23        it.  He would not even go to the quality control laboratory
    24        and ask.  He would just -- he would not use it.
    25
    26   MS. STEEL:   When the meat smells and looks visibly off, what
    27        kind of bacteria count per gramme is that going to have?
    28        A.  We do not have a lot of experience of that in McKey,
    29        but in my experience of other meat plants in other places,
    30        it will be 50 million plus.
    31
    32   Q.   50 million plus?
    33        A.  Yes.
    34
    35   MR. MORRIS:  So if when you do your testing you discover E.coli
    36        present in the beef, even though it has gone into
    37        production and it is patties and they are waiting in the
    38        storage, what action do you take?
    39        A.  Well, when we find it?
    40
    41   Q.   When you find this 24 hours after doing the sample it is
    42        actually positive for E.coli?
    43        A.  Destroy it.
    44
    45   Q.   You destroy all the patties?
    46        A.  All the patties in that batch are destroyed.  They are
    47        stained with green dye and dumped.
    48
    49   Q.   In that batch?
    50        A.  Yes. 
    51 
    52   Q.   How much is a batch?  How many combos in a batch, just 
    53        approximately?
    54        A.  It is 2,000 pounds in a mixing batch.
    55
    56   Q.   How many combos is that?
    57        A.  One combo and a bit.  Let me go a bit further on that.
    58
    59   MR. JUSTICE BELL:  Yes.  Mr. Walker wants to add something.
    60        A.  When I talk about "positive release", if we found

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