Day 291 - 31 Oct 96 - Page 29


     
     1        effectively it meant that animals were having to travel far
     2        greater distances as a result.
     3
     4        The top three he named, the top three slaughter
     5        corporations he named as Cargill, Con Agra and IBP, which
     6        I think we have seen from documents in this case all supply
     7        McDonald's.
     8
     9        Referring to the slaughter process, Mr. Lyman stated on
    10        page 14, line 45, that: "When animals reach the slaughter
    11        facility, the only concern is to kill as many in as short a
    12        period as possible.  The animals are terrified at the
    13        slaughter plant and the cruelty inflicted on the animal in
    14        their last moments on earth is indescribable.  I believe if
    15        viewing of slaughter was required to eat meat, most folks
    16        would become vegetarian."  Which obviously is something
    17        that is mentioned in the London Greenpeace fact sheet.
    18
    19        He said about the first thing that you notice at the
    20        slaughter plant is the smell.  It is different to anything
    21        he is.  You know exactly what it is.  And then that when
    22        the animals go on the runway to the kill floor, if you
    23        stand there and look at them, you see the terror in their
    24        eyes as they approach the kill floor.  He said:  The animal
    25        behind the one in front of it being stunned sees what is
    26        happening and knows exactly what has happened.
    27
    28        He said, at line 21, page 15: "There is in doubt that those
    29        animals going onto the kill floor know they are going to
    30        die; and they are not pleased."
    31
    32        He said that cattle did see the other cattle being killed
    33        and he said that with all the gore that is on the floors it
    34        is impossible to shield the animals from what is in front
    35        of them and what it is going to happen.  He said: "What I
    36        am talking about is the absolute standard of the industry.
    37        What it is about is, get them in as quickly as possible,
    38        kill them as quickly as possible, and the idea of humane
    39        slaughter absolutely does not exist."
    40
    41        I should have done this in the bit I was mentioning about
    42        the conditions and so on.  He did say on page 17, line
    43        51: "My experience in animal production convinces me that
    44        destruction of the natural land base by animals under the
    45        control of humans is out of hand.  If we do not control our
    46        animal numbers, we will cause damage to the environment
    47        that is irreparable."
    48
    49        He said on page 18, line 10 that regulations on animal
    50        welfare in the United States are zero. 
    51 
    52        He referred on page 22 to the fact that during the 1970s he 
    53        was approached by the beef processor who supplied the
    54        McDonald's chain and the fact that the only stipulation or
    55        the only consideration was the price and the fatness of the
    56        animals.  He said he was surprised that there were no
    57        stipulations in relations to drugs, implants, types of
    58        animals, and so on.  He does not mention any stipulation in
    59        respect of the welfare of the animals.
    60

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