Day 069 - 19 Dec 94 - Page 52
1
2 Q. OK. But it happens faster in a feed lot than if you left
3 them wandering around, getting exercise and wasting lots of
4 energy?
5 A. It happens faster, primarily because the animals are
6 fed under controlled conditions, are fed a diet that is
7 nutritionally balanced. Nutritionally, they are fed many
8 times better than humans, because all of their requirements
9 and needs are determined by computers and by a lot of
10 research that has been done. They grow faster, because
11 they grow under controlled conditions, where they are fed.
12 Most of the animals walk just to get to the water. On the
13 feed lot, the water is supplied within a few metres or a
14 few yards. They also get covers. If there is too much
15 sun, they have the opportunity to do so.
16
17 MR. JUSTICE BELL: Just pause there for a moment. The question
18 which was put to you was: it happens faster in a feed lot
19 than if you leave them wandering around, wasting -- or
20 perhaps one should say using up -- energy?
21 A. That is very small. That is not the only reason. That
22 is a very small part of the equation.
23
24 Q. Given that that is so, are you saying that the result of
25 the careful feeding is that the proportion of fat to
26 protein increases?
27 A. That is correct. Those same animals that are wandering
28 around, if you put them in a feed lot and give them exactly
29 the same diet that they would have or would eat normally,
30 walking around, they will never reach the same speed of
31 growth.
32
33 Q. But what I am having difficulty understanding at the moment
34 is -- I interpret your answer as meaning that they are fed
35 in a carefully controlled way in the feed lot, and the
36 result of being fed in this carefully controlled way is
37 that the ratio or the proportion of fat to protein in the
38 animal increases. Is that what you meant to say?
39 A. Yes; and not necessarily the fat increases, but the
40 protein also increases. It depends on what the feed lot is
41 targeting to the market. A few years ago, they were
42 targeting half inch of outside fat. Nowadays they target a
43 quarter of an inch. There is no need to have that extra
44 fat; it is waste. So they feed them accordingly to the
45 market's needs.
46
47 So it could possibly be that it depends what they are
48 targeting for. It will depend. There are some animals
49 that come from areas where the grass is not readily
50 available or is of poor quality, and they gain what is
51 compensatory gain. So when they start eating a good diet,
52 they will gain a lot of weight. Most of the weight is pure
53 protein. Fat is the last thing to deposit. So it varies.
54
55 MS. STEEL: Is that something you have actually looked into,
56 yourself?
57 A. Absolutely.
58
59 Q. It is?
60 A. I have looked; I was trained, I have worked in a feed
