Day 096 - 03 Mar 95 - Page 49
1 all the time we are slaughtering, with our RSPCA Freedom
2 Food acreditation, our whole plant is monitored with
3 videos, and the screens are 100 metres away, I am totally
4 confident that when our people stun the animals they are
5 done correctly. I think that was borne out by
6 Dr. Gregory's statement.
7
8 Q. You have already said that some of the animals are stunned
9 either side of the neck, on each side of the neck?
10 A. Yes.
11
12 Q. So you think your pigs are different?
13 A. No, I do not. But what I do think, our method is
14 different.
15
16 Q. So these guidelines that are set out, they do not really
17 apply to you because you do it differently?
18 A. No, the guidelines apply, but I do not want to sound a
19 bragger, but I rather think we run a Rolls Royce outfit and
20 that we do achieve better standards than in the guidelines.
21
22 Q. But if the animal is paralysed then you are not going to be
23 able to see whether it is suffering severe pain, are you?
24 A. But we constantly do tests, our vets do, our technical
25 staff do, and when Dr. Gregory came round he did tests to
26 make sure that there is total stun, and how we operate we
27 do not have a problem.
28
29 Q. Dr. Gregory actually does say it is a risk, but he says
30 because of the circumstances he was watching under he was
31 not able to determine whether that was happening or not.
32 Do you have an animal welfare officer at your plant?
33 A. Yes, we do.
34
35 Q. How long have you had that?
36 A. I think we started off with my father.
37
38 MR. JUSTICE BELL: What sort of date, though?
39 A. I would say we first made an official appointment, if
40 you like to give a man a title, and his responsibilities in
41 that area in the 19, around 1980, sir.
42
43 MS. STEEL: Is that their sole job in the plant?
44 A. No, no, that is not their sole job. That is their
45 responsibility. We operate a plant where we try to put
46 responsibility right down to the operator on the line.
47
48 Q. So, basically, they are just, I do not know, what you might
49 call general quality control, or something like that?
50 A. No. His official title is Training Officer and Animal
51 Welfare Officer. We link those two because we see them as
52 vitally important together.
53
54 Q. Is that all he does?
55 A. Yes -- and drink coffee occasionally.
56
57 Q. Is he responsible for training all the employees in the
58 plant?
59 A. Yes, basically.
60
