Day 018 - 26 Jul 94 - Page 37


     
     1        tongs which span the head of the animal and then current
              is delivered through the head.
     2
         Q.   I have not any with me in court, but can you give us a
     3        rough idea of the size of this instrument?
              A.  It would be about two and a half feet, maybe three
     4        feet.  They are on a centre pin with cross over arms such
              that when you open you operate the tongs.
     5
         Q.   Does it have kind of pads on the end of its -----
     6        A.  Yes, they have electrodes, metal plates on the end or
              electrodes on the end which are often serrated to improve
     7        grip, and they have to be kept clean in order to reduce
              the electrical resistance or keep the electrical
     8        resistance low.
 
     9   MR. JUSTICE BELL:  It is when you close your ----?
              A.  It is when you close, they close, correct.
    10
         MR. RAMPTON:  What sort of weight are they?
    11        A.  It varies considerably.  Let me think.  It would be
              six, seven pounds in weight, that sort of weight.  They
    12        can be quite heavy.  In fact, if they are heavy, sometimes
              that facilitates applying a hard force to the pig during
    13        the stunning operation which helps to reduce the
              electrical resistance.  If they are too light they can
    14        bounce off the pig's head as you grasp the pig's head.
 
    15   Q.   Then it gets a shock?
              A.  This is a potential problem.
    16
         Q.   Is it a skilled business, the stunning of pigs with tongs?
    17        A.  It requires tolerance, it requires experience.
 
    18   Q.   Patience?
              A.  Correct.
    19
         Q.   Tell us how the operation was conducted at GD Bowes when
    20        you were there; a pig comes up, a pig or pigs come up, to
              the entrance of the stunning pen?
    21        A.  Yes.
 
    22   Q.   Has that got a gate?
              A.  Yes.  From the lairage area they move up in groups of
    23        15 into a collecting pen.  They are hosed down with water
              to calm them down.
    24
         Q.   Does that also improve the conductivity of the stunning
    25        operation?
              A.  Absolutely.  They are then broken down into groups of 
    26        five into consecutive pens which lead towards the stunning 
              pen. 
    27
         Q.   Give us the size of the pen, the breaking, the prestun
    28        pen, if you see what I mean, can you use any of the
              equipment?
    29        A.  From this partition to the end there, across and back
              down again.
    30
         Q.   So you would get five pigs in an area of that size?

Prev Next Index