Day 018 - 26 Jul 94 - Page 79


     
     1        Council report, on poultry transport.  Quite recently
              there was an another farm animal welfare council report
     2        which looked at broiler keeping, and in that they came up
              with recommendations, for example, that the bird should
     3        not be stopped at more than 34 kilograms per meter
              squared.  There is at the moment a FAWC report due to come
     4        out on turkey production.  The Council of Europe are
              preparing a report at the moment on poultry production in
     5        general.
 
     6   Q.   OK.
              A.  The code of practice.
     7
         MR. MORRIS:  Just on the subject of improvements, some of the
     8        ones you have mentioned, they have been improvements
              across the industry?
     9        A.  That is a difficult question to answer.  If you take
              the poultry ones, you see I tend to focus on the ones
    10        which are down in the southern half of England.  So I do
              not, to be honest, have a lot of experience with poultry
    11        processing plants in the north of England or particularly
              in Scotland, very little contact with them at all.
    12
         MR. JUSTICE BELL:  Your department is really very well-known at
    13        Bristol as a centre of veterinary knowledge.  Where are
              the other main centres in the country including Scotland?
    14        A.  There are other veterinary colleges.  We are perhaps
              singled out because we do research on stunning and
    15        slaughter.  We have expertise in stunning and slaughter.
 
    16   Q.   Is there a north of England or Scottish equivalent?
              A.  No.  To be honest, I do not think there are many other
    17        places in the world in fact.  There is not a lot of
              experimental work or academic experience -- sorry,
    18        experience in academia in many parts of the world.
              Bristol is rather unusual in that respect.
    19
         MR. MORRIS:  What we are trying to get at is, have the
    20        improvements that have been made, say over the last five
              years, whatever, have they left people like Sun Valley and
    21        McKey's Bowes, have they left them untouched or have they
              been affected by these general improvements?  Would they
    22        have been affected by the general standard of
              improvements?
    23        A.  You are asking me whether they -- I think you are
              asking me whether they have improved over the last five
    24        years along with the rest of the industry.  Is that your
              question?
    25
         Q.   Yes, basically. 
    26        A.  OK. 
  
    27   Q.   Not necessarily five years, but, say, since, well, in the
              last 10 years or so?
    28        A.  It is a very difficult question to answer.  Certainly
              Sun Valley have changed their slaughter stunning methods
    29        as time has gone on.  I have seen changes in the equipment
              they are using.
    30
         Q.   Could you be a bit more specific?

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