Day 093 - 28 Feb 95 - Page 18
1 level of expertise. As I said it before, in my opinion,
2 they are the best in the world.
3
4 Q. Yes, but why did they debeak their chickens before this
5 nutritional improvement that you have talked about?
6 A. Because they probably thought there was a -- I cannot
7 answer for them. But, from my experience, there are some
8 practices that sometimes do not have the science behind
9 it. Once they study it, they decided -- they did not have
10 problems with cannibalism to the extent that that affected
11 the flocks, so that they probably stayed with it because it
12 was a practice in the industry many years ago.
13
14 Q. So there were some problems with cannibalism, it was just
15 limited?
16 A. Very limit limbed, yes, it could have been, I do not
17 know. My experience with Tyson was the last four years.
18
19 Q. So they could have carried on doing this for years without
20 any need for it?
21 A. What?
22
23 Q. Debeaking?
24 A. They could have, yes.
25
26 Q. But they did not bother to investigate ---
27 A. I do not know.
28
29 Q. -- 10 or 15 years ago?
30 A. I do not think.
31
32 MR. JUSTICE BELL: This all started with him saying he did not
33 know and then speculating about it. Once he speculates, of
34 course, you are entitled to question him further, but I am
35 much more interested in what actually happened rather than
36 what people think may happen. (To the witness): The
37 1/64th of an inch, have you fixed on that as a precise
38 measurement or just because it is your stab looking back at
39 what the amount cut off is?
40 A. Yes, that is the -- when I asked Tyson, I said: "What
41 is it, tell me the measurement?" He said: "1/64th is the
42 normal practice". That was the measure.
43
44 Q. But have you actually seen it being done itself?
45 A. Yes, I have. It is just the tip, is just the tip.
46
47 MS. STEEL: Would you agree that a hen's nesting desire is so
48 strong that she will go without food and water to be
49 allowed to use the nest when she is ready to lay?
50 A. That is a strong statement. I do not know.
51
52 Q. You do not know.
53 A. I do not know how to you measure, what you mean by a
54 "strong desire"? The chickens that I have seen, they eat
55 regular.
56
57 Q. Would you accept that hens in battery cages pace up and
58 down the cage for a couple of hours prior to laying the
59 egg?
60 A. They can do that at any time, from what I have seen.
