Day 093 - 28 Feb 95 - Page 37


     
     1
     2   MR. JUSTICE BELL:  No.  What you are being asked about is the
     3        extent to which, if at all, McDonald's actually supervises
     4        the welfare of animals which are going to become meat for
     5        sale in McDonald's restaurants.  We have reached the point
     6        where you have said that you rely on suppliers ---
     7        A.  That is correct.
     8
     9   Q.   -- to carry out that function, but you said "mostly, not
    10        entirely" so you are being asked what McDonald's actually
    11        does itself to supervise animal welfare.
    12        A.  Ourselves, we do not.  So, we relied on our suppliers,
    13        or in this case the United States Department of Agriculture
    14        has that responsibility.
    15
    16   MS. STEEL:   OK.  Just going back to the birds, the dead on
    17        arrivals:  You said when you were giving evidence that they
    18        could have internal injury?
    19        A.  That is correct.
    20
    21   Q.   How would they get those injuries?
    22        A.  It could happen when they pick them up, it could happen
    23        during transportation, it could happen anywhere during the
    24        process.
    25
    26   Q.   And also there would be things like dislocated hips?
    27        A.  Yes, that could happen, yes.
    28
    29   Q.   Do all the birds that get dislocated hips die?
    30        A.  No.
    31
    32   Q.   They would not?
    33        A.  No.
    34
    35   Q.   So how many, what percentage, of the birds would get
    36        dislocated hips?
    37        A.  I do not know.  When I asked Tyson several months ago
    38        about that, they said, they told me the answer was less
    39        than one per cent, "it is so minimal because of our
    40        practice".  It is not a major concern for them.
    41
    42   Q.   Was that the birds that died from dislocated hips?
    43        A.  No, no, the birds during transit.
    44
    45   MR. JUSTICE BELL:  But is "the less than one per cent" those who
    46        die, or those who die from dislocated hips, or those which
    47        have dislocated hips?  What is "the less than one per
    48        cent"?
    49        A.  OK, less than one per cent is the incidence of
    50        dislocated hips during from the house to the 
    51        slaughterhouse.  The mortality rate of deaths on arrival is 
    52         .0, and I do not remember the last digit, but it was in 
    53        the hundreds of a per cent.
    54
    55   MS. STEEL:  Actually, when you gave evidence-in-chief you said
    56        that one to two per cent of birds were dead on arrival?
    57        A.  That is probably before I asked for an estimate.
    58
    59   Q.   Asked him when?
    60        A.  Pardon?

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