Day 066 - 14 Dec 94 - Page 57


     
     1
     2   Q.   What age is it done?
     3        A.  At a very early age, I would say within two days.
     4
     5   Q.   Have you observed it being done?
     6        A.  Yes, I have.
     7
     8   Q.   Does the young pig to whom it is being done appear to show
     9        signs of distress?
    10        A.  They do show some signs of distress probably within a
    11        minute and then they get up and go.
    12
    13   Q.   Really?
    14        A.  If you did not know, you could not tell.
    15
    16   Q.   When the pigs are being got ready to go to the
    17        slaughterhouse, are they put into feed lots or some similar
    18        sort of arrangement?
    19        A.  It will depend, but it could.
    20
    21   Q.   But not necessarily?
    22        A.  Not necessarily, no.
    23
    24   Q.   How are they transported, as a rule?
    25        A.  They are transported, they are loaded into a truck and,
    26        obviously, it is covered.  Then they are transported by a
    27        truck.
    28
    29   Q.   Do you have trucks, as apparently we have now in this
    30        country, which have a hydraulic platform?
    31        A.  Yes.
    32
    33   Q.   To what extent do pigs die en route from the farm to the
    34        slaughterhouse.
    35        A.  I would say it is a very small proportion, probably
    36        around one per cent.
    37
    38   Q.   What about suffering injury in transit?
    39        A.  Probably it depends how you define injury but there
    40        are -----
    41
    42   Q.   I do not mean just an abrasion, I mean a badly bruised or
    43        broken leg?
    44        A.  Broken leg -- that is rare, very rare.
    45
    46   Q.   It is rare.  Do all breeds of pig require to be sheltered
    47        from bright sunshine, hot sunshine?
    48        A.  Required by whom?
    49
    50   Q.   No, no, I meant for their own well-being? 
    51        A.  They -- can you repeat the question? 
    52 
    53   Q.   Yes, it is not very well phrased.  To what extent is it
    54        necessary to shelter or protect pigs from bright sunshine?
    55        A.  That would depend, obviously, on the amount of sunshine
    56        and the access that those animals have to -- the choice,
    57        actually, that those animals will have to stay away from
    58        the sun.  It would also depend from the susceptibility of
    59        the animal.  The white breeds have a higher tendency of
    60        showing signs of stress.  So you should pay particular

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