Day 019 - 27 Jul 94 - Page 66


     
     1
         Q.   You mean before the April one or before the February one?
     2        A.  Before the April one, I had seen them, yes.
 
     3   Q.   What about before the February one?
              A.  I believe so, yes.
     4
         Q.   You were saying something about the size of the shackles
     5        had changed at Sun Valley Poultry?
              A.  Yes.
     6
         Q.   Is that right?  Can you just remind us about that?
     7        A.  Certainly.  They killed their males on a separate line
              from their females.  The males have a different sized leg
     8        to the females.  They have a bigger leg and, to allow for
              this, they have a larger shackle gap where you put the leg
     9        which you would hold the leg between, for the males in
              comparison with females.
    10
         Q.   What would have been the situation previously?
    11        A.  It would have been a single shackle size and design
              for both sexes.
    12
         Q.   What effect would that have had on the bird?
    13        A.  It depends on the size of the shackle relative to the
              bird but, in general terms, it means that the males would
    14        have had their shanks compressed more than subsequently.
 
    15   Q.   Right, which could be painful if they are too narrow?
              A.  Yes.
    16
         Q.   That was changed between your visit in February and April,
    17        was it not?
              A.  That is correct.
    18
         Q.   Is it right that the size of shackles -- well, because it
    19        affects the amount of pain, it can affect the amount of
              wing flapping as well?
    20        A.  That is a supposition, but it is not an unreasonable
              one.
    21
         Q.   Do you know how many official veterinary OVS's there are
    22        at Sun Valley Poultry?
              A.  No, I have met some of them.  It is usual practice,
    23        veterinary practice, to which the local authority goes,
              and it is up to them to provide sufficient OVS's who have
    24        to be registered OVS's.  I do not know how many this
              particular plant has on call.
    25
         MR. JUSTICE BELL:  Were you asking how many are available or 
    26        how many are there at any given moment because 
              I think  ----- 
    27
         MS. STEEL:   How many are there at any given moment.
    28
         MR. JUSTICE BELL:  I think you say something about that in your
    29        report, do you not?
              A.  Do I?  Right, OK.  The usual practice is to have one
    30        OVS on site at any one given point in time.  That applies
              to the industry.  Please check it out with Mark Pattison

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