Day 091 - 17 Feb 95 - Page 36
1 A. Well, the Ministry of Agriculture random sampling
2 programme means that their veterinary officer or an animal
3 health officer can come into the factory unannounced at any
4 time. The routine is that they sample plants every three
5 months, but if they have any reason to investigate or to
6 wish to gain more information, they would do it more
7 frequently.
8
9 Q. These three monthly visits, do they specifically test for
10 antibiotics on each of those occasions?
11 A. They take carcasses away from our slaughter plant and
12 send them off for residue analysis of antimicrobial
13 substances.
14
15 MS. STEEL: Is Furazolodone one of the ones that you would
16 withdraw five days before?
17 A. Yes, the normal practice for Furazolodone would be a
18 five-day withdrawal.
19
20 Q. That is what is in practice at Sun Valley?
21 A. Well, as I say, we are not using that compound at the
22 moment.
23
24 Q. That was what was in practice at Sun Valley?
25 A. That is correct, yes.
26
27 Q. This drug is strongly linked with cancer, is it not?
28 A. The recommendation from the Veterinary Medicines
29 Directorate came out, I do not know, 9 or 12 months ago,
30 that some concerns had been expressed on the use of
31 Furazolodone from a health and safety point of view for the
32 mill workers in the feed mill handling the compound,
33 so it was recommended that the product be used wearing the
34 correct safety protection equipment.
35
36 At the same time when a large number general supermarkets,
37 customers of ours, heard that there might be any concerns
38 whatsoever, there was a general feeling that the product
39 should not be used, and so for that reason the product is
40 not used very much now in the poultry industry. We
41 certainly stopped using it in the spring of last year.
42
43 Q. In 1991, the USA Food and Drug Administration banned it
44 from use in food animals forming part of the human food
45 chain, did they not?
46 A. Yes, there was a ban on its use in the United States,
47 that is correct.
48
49 Q. That was followed by bans in Canada, Australia and Germany?
50 A. That is correct.
51
52 Q. But it continued to be used in this country?
53 A. It was used in this country and many other European
54 countries, that is correct.
55
56 Q. It was banned in those countries because of the concerns
57 over cancer and it getting through the food chains to
58 humans?
59 A. The authorities took the decision to ban the use of
60 that compound for all sorts of health and safety reasons.
