Day 096 - 03 Mar 95 - Page 41
1
2 Q. How many slaughter lines are there in the slaughterhouse?
3 A. One.
4
5 Q. So all the pigs go the same route?
6 A. Yes.
7
8 Q. I think you said it was normally two or three were stunned
9 at a time, or something like that; is that right?
10 A. It can vary -- no, not stunned at a time. They are
11 stunned individually.
12
13 MR. JUSTICE BELL: May be in the pens?
14 A. Yes, they can but, generally, there are one or two, but
15 occasionally there can be three.
16
17 MS. STEEL: So what is the usual number that are stunned at one
18 go? I mean, is it usually two?
19 A. That is difficult to answer because that is all about
20 the ease of movement of the pigs into the stunning area and
21 if they naturally walk in, we allow up to three to go in so
22 there is less stress. One could average, say that averaged
23 two, but that is a difficult thing to actually pin-point.
24
25 Q. Does that speed up the process if they do ---
26 A. No.
27
28 Q. -- if you do two at a time does that, you know, speed up
29 the rest of the process?
30 A. No, that is not necessary, because after the area where
31 we collect the blood, there is an accumulation conveyor, so
32 that we can accumulate pigs on there, that then releases
33 them to the main conveyor that runs through the factory.
34 So, the accumulation conveyor actually controls
35 everything. So you can then stun in a very natural,
36 orderly fashion.
37
38 Q. But in terms of the part before the accumulating area,
39 would that speed up that part if you had more than one
40 being stunned at a time?
41 A. No, because they stun them. Each pig has its own
42 stunning time.
43
44 MR. JUSTICE BELL: It is the speed of the main conveyor which
45 governs the rate rather than the rate at which you can get
46 pigs stunned then, is that what you are saying?
47 A. Yes, yes.
48
49 MS. STEEL: Sorry, the conveyor, does that have like a series of
50 notches so you can actually hang the pig, shackle the pig,
51 at any one of those; it is not like there are only five
52 notches on the whole line and you have to wait for that
53 notch to come back round?
54 A. No, no. The accumulation conveyor, that actually works
55 in a system that is always working towards the first
56 position that delivers to the main conveyor of the factory,
57 and it is totally automatic so that if there are five pen
58 pigs there, it holds them and then one pig goes at a time.
59 That is why we call it "accumulation conveyor". Now, I am
60 not an expert mechanic in this field but it is used
