Day 090 - 16 Feb 95 - Page 32
1 Q. If there is less activity then the birds will put on weight
2 faster, will they not?
3 A. I do not think the light intensity is particularly
4 important in that regard, although you might think it was.
5 I do not believe it is.
6
7 MR. JUSTICE BELL: Does it not save money?
8 A. It saves no money at all.
9
10 Q. It does not ---
11 A. It makes no difference.
12
13 Q. -- because of the system?
14 A. No.
15
16 Q. Not in electricity bills. Can you in one sentence explain
17 why that is, bearing in mind you are not speaking to
18 someone with any great electrical knowledge or knowledge of
19 the kind of fittings you have?
20 A. The fittings are mostly fluorescent lights which use
21 less electricity than incandescent bulbs. There is a
22 particular long lasting type of fluorescent bulb which
23 gives a greater degree of life, and the amount of light
24 that would be used by changing the intensity, or the amount
25 of electricity that would be used, would be so minimal in
26 comparison to the electricity that is used for driving fans
27 or driving heaters.
28
29 Q. I can grapple with that. You must use more electricity to
30 get a greater lux but it pales, you say, into total
31 insignificance compared with the other uses of electricity,
32 is that what you are saying?
33 A. That is exactly what I am saying.
34
35 MS. STEEL: If there is no disadvantage to using brighter light
36 and it seems to have advantages for the chickens as far as
37 the Farm Animal Welfare Council thinks, with their
38 recommendation of at least 20 lux, can you explain why you
39 have not been using brighter light for the last 10 years?
40 A. What, brighter than 20 lux?
41
42 Q. Yes.
43 A. Because we do not perceive any great advantage.
44
45 Q. If it was nicer for the chickens, how about doing it for
46 that reason?
47 A. If the scientific evidence is there to prove that it is
48 nicer for the chickens, I am sure we would look at it.
49
50 Q. Paragraph 38 does indicate that it is better for the
51 chickens to have it at over 20 lux.
52 A. But the -----
53
54 MR. JUSTICE BELL: Actually, when one reads it, it is a slightly
55 tortuous paragraph. "We recommend that all houses should
56 have light levels sufficient to allow all birds to see and
57 be seen clearly. We consider that a suitable average light
58 intensity is likely to be at least 20 lux throughout the
59 house at bird eye height and the industry should be
60 encouraged to adopt this level of illuminance". You see,
