Day 290 - 30 Oct 96 - Page 18


     
     1
     2        If I can just add about the five freedoms, which we would
     3        say do not go far enough because they are only some kind of
     4        protection in a commercial environment, but if you look at
     5        what Dr. Gregory said on day 19 at bottom of page 3, he
     6        says, five freedoms are "not an extremist view,"  and that
     7        they are capable of being available in a commercial
     8        setting.  So they really are the minimum, recognising the
     9        rights of the company which we would not necessarily
    10        recognise.
    11
    12        So, really, if you look at the life of chickens, whether
    13        they are battery chickens, rearers or broilers, it is clear
    14        that it is non-stop cruelty from even before they are out
    15        of the egg some of them get killed, but from the egg
    16        onwards until their untimely death, even during the process
    17        of death, it is systematic, inevitable, non-stop cruelty.
    18        I just want to see if I have got anything else I wanted to
    19        say on that.  (Pause)
    20
    21        I think the fact that Mr. Rampton failed to question our
    22        witnesses on this issue on any substantive matter,
    23        including our experts, is a recognition that McDonald's
    24        have got no case whatsoever.
    25
    26        The last point I have to make, and I had a burning desire
    27        to get up a bit earlier on but I restrained myself, was
    28        about whether suffering of animals is acceptable to the
    29        public because the majority of them are prepared to eat
    30        them.  I think that people do not actually know that
    31        animals suffer, that the views that people have are -----
    32
    33   MR. JUSTICE BELL:   Forget that, because I am quite clear that
    34        the article goes beyond the meaning which Ms. Steel put
    35        forward.  The fact is the real issues stay the same.
    36
    37   MR. MORRIS:   It is a, sort of, difficult area to make any
    38        submission on.
    39
    40   MR JUSTICE BELL:   I don't think you need to because it is going
    41        to be entirely academic.
    42
    43   MR. MORRIS:   I mean, it does go to the issue of not having a
    44        jury.  It is very hard to-----
    45
    46   MR. JUSTICE BELL:   It does not go to that issue, because that
    47        is out of the way and has been for over two years.
    48
    49   MR. MORRIS:   I know, but it is very difficult, impossible in
    50        fact, to get into the public mind and that is the purpose 
    51        for having a jury.  I think we should be very careful in 
    52        presupposing that because something is normal in our 
    53        society it is therefore acceptable, because people, when
    54        they are given an opportunity to think about it -----
    55
    56   MR. JUSTICE BELL:  I am going to stop you there, Mr. Morris.  It
    57        is not relevant to something which is still an effective
    58        issue in the case.
    59
    60   MR. MORRIS:   We will say that normality is unacceptable.

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