Day 018 - 26 Jul 94 - Page 46
1 A. I did.
2 Q. Did they seem to be quiet, calm, or excited and
distressed?
3 A. I would describe it as being orderly, and implicit in
that is that they were not unduly excited.
4
Q. What different ages and gender of cattle did you see on
5 the occasion you were there?
A. A good question. The animals slaughtered at Midland
6 Meat Packers for McKeys were cows, and I paid particular
attention to the cows because in all likelihood they would
7 be going to McKey's. The cows, being animals which are
familiar to daily handling in the dairy situation, are
8 relatively easy to handle in an abattoir situation
compared with an unfamiliar animal, say, taken from a moor
9 or hill farm; so cows in general are easy to handle and
this -- my experience at Midland Meat Packers conformed to
10 that.
11 Q. Did they seem to know what they were doing?
A. I cannot answer that. They were walking in a straight
12 line.
13 Q. Not the cows, the people?
A. I beg your pardon. Yes, absolutely. Yes, they did.
14
Q. At Midland Meat Packers, in contrast with Bowes of
15 Norfolk, there was some use of electric goads to get the
cows into the right position?
16 A. Yes.
17 Q. What are the criticisms to be made of the use of electric
goads from the animal's point of view?
18 A. It gives the animal an electric shock which is
unpleasant.
19
Q. Is it something like an electric fence, or is it stronger?
20 A. It is a high capacitants discharge; it would be
similar; it might be slightly more provocative.
21
Q. They prod them in the hind quarters, do they?
22 A. That is the usual position yes.
23 MR. JUSTICE BELL: How can I measure it? If one has actually
ever touched an electric power fence in a field I know the
24 kind of shock you get from that, but how does that compare
with a goad?
25 A. I have not had a goad on myself so I cannot speak with
authority in this respect. I would suspect it is similar;
26 it would certainly be less than if you had an electric
shock from a mains plug output, which you may also have
27 experienced. So it would be nearer the electric fence
situation than that situation.
28
MR. RAMPTON: Dr. Gregory, given that most of us or many of us
29 are somewhat smaller in size and weight than your average
cow, I take it, is the effect of the shock proportionate
30 to the size of the body?
A. It is going to be dependent upon the resistance is one
