Day 061 - 05 Dec 94 - Page 69


     
     1        weight, then that is a problem.  Certainly, in the testing
     2        that has taken place in Belgium they have found that there
     3        is an excess of hormones in the cattle, and they have
     4        tracked that down to certain unscrupulous farmers.
     5
     6   Q.   I mean, the purpose of growth promoters though is to give
     7        it to animals when they are young, is it not, that is the
     8        point?
     9
    10   MR. JUSTICE BELL:  You answer that question.
    11        A.  No, it is not.
    12
    13   MR. MORRIS:  That is when it is most effective.
    14
    15   MR. JUSTICE BELL:  No, he said, no, it is not.  We had some
    16        evidence about this the other day.  What is administered
    17        was given a name, and it had different purposes (or this
    18        was the effect of Mr. Oakley's evidence) depending upon at
    19        what stage in the steer's life it was given.
    20
    21   MR. MORRIS:  I do have a few more questions before we finish
    22        just on the subject of abattoirs generally.
    23
    24   MR. JUSTICE BELL:  Do you want to sit down and just collect your
    25        thoughts?
    26
    27   MS. STEEL:   While Mr. Morris is doing that, I have a question
    28        I would like to ask you.  I do not know whether you still
    29        have pink bundle IX there or not?
    30        A.  Yes.
    31
    32   Q.   Under key index at the front, this is entitled Rearing and
    33        Slaughter of Animals, under No. 2 it has "Bundle of copy
    34        relevant extracts from Plaintiffs' Meat and Poultry Food
    35        Product Specifications, September 1983 to date2.  If you
    36        look just briefly at them, are you familiar with them?
    37        Have you seen them before?
    38        A.  Well, I am surprised that what I am looking at here
    39        does not have "COPY" printed all over it, because when you
    40        photocopy a McDonald's specification it prints "COPY"
    41        across the page, and these documents I have do not have
    42         "COPY" printed over them.
    43
    44   Q.   Right.  Are you familiar with them anyway?
    45        A.  If, in fact, they are what they appear to be, yes, but
    46        I am not sure they are the real thing.
    47
    48   Q.   They were disclosed by your company, so I presume they are
    49        the real thing, although if you want to say they are not,
    50        then ..... 
    51        A.  Well, OK.  I am just looking at the date now, 1973, 
    52        revision date 1985.  It is only in later years that we have 
    53        impregnated the word "COPY", so, OK, I accept that.
    54
    55   Q.   Would you recognise that none of these Food Product
    56        Specifications actually make any reference to animal
    57        welfare?
    58        A.  Yes, I would recognise that.
    59
    60   Q.   So it is not part of your specifications, the welfare of

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