Day 090 - 16 Feb 95 - Page 27
1 what?
2 A. What they do is that they produce a response document
3 which is picking up the items that are mentioned as
4 recommendations, or whatever, in this FAWC report. They
5 will say whether they propose to introduce legislation,
6 whether they propose to recommend extra research or whether
7 they propose to include in a code of practice, depending on
8 the type of item that they are talking about.
9
10 A good example in the past that has happened as a result of
11 FAWC recommendation has been the banning of the use of the
12 veal crate system in the UK. We have heard a lot about
13 this system recently, so most people are familiar with it.
14 It was regarded by FAWC as an unacceptable farming practice
15 and this ended up with a recommendation to government which
16 was accepted that the crate system would be abolished.
17
18 Q. Pause there. What, if anything, has come out of this April
19 1992 Report?
20 A. One of the recommendations in this report is that the
21 industry should do further work on leg problems. With that
22 in mind, the industry has now sponsored a research and
23 surveillance project which involves a number of different
24 companies collating data on leg problems. So this is an
25 example where the government have gone to the industry and
26 they have asked them to do further work as a result of this
27 report.
28
29 Q. But have they done anything with regard to stocking
30 densities?
31 A. No, they have not. There has been no -- this 34 kilos
32 per square metre has always been in the MAFF code of
33 practice, but it has never been a legislative.
34
35 Q. So far as that is concerned, unless they go to legislation,
36 would not expect them to do more because they are merely
37 saying that the 34 per square metre which we have already
38 in our code of practice should continue at least for the
39 time being?
40 A. That is correct, yes.
41
42 Q. I understand now, yes.
43
44 MS. STEEL: Have McDonald's asked you to change the stocking
45 density, reduce the stocking density?
46 A. No, they have not.
47
48 Q. They have not. So, they are quite happy with the stocking
49 density as it is now?
50 A. Yes.
51
52 Q. At the back of this document on page 23 there is a list of
53 the proposed legislative controls, and that includes the
54 stocking density. What has happened to these proposals?
55 A. The proposals, if we take No. 1, there is no change in
56 the legislation on that. There is no legislation on it
57 anyway.
58
59 Q. So whose hands is that left in at the present time?
60 A. That is with the MAFF.
