Day 113 - 03 Apr 95 - Page 61
1 MR. JUSTICE BELL: We are indeed. What I would like you to do,
2 if you can, is distinguish between when you are talking
3 about the UK and other countries.
4 A. Yes. In the case of Denmark and Holland, which are
5 major producers, castration is commonly carried out.
6 I cannot say, I have not seen any evidence about
7 arrangements for McDonald's in these other countries.
8
9 MR. JUSTICE BELL: I suggest you carry on. Bear in mind that
10 there may be a distinction at least in some areas between
11 pork and bacon and beef for the reason which I have tried
12 to set out.
13
14 MR. RAMPTON: One example, I am anticipating one example, is
15 where one comes to the use of a routine use of
16 antibiotics. Now Mr. Bowes was very specific about that.
17 I am not sure how helpful it will be spending time talking
18 about what other people do.
19
20 MR. JUSTICE BELL: That may be so, except for the point about
21 Bowes UK, which is why no doubt Dr. Long made the point
22 which he did and which I largely accept. For instance,
23 Dr. Gomez Gonzales said that animal husbandry in Russia was
24 not all it might be. He did not then say what respects it
25 fell short of or what a large proportion of the population
26 in this country might find acceptable in this country. So
27 if Dr. Long can go beyond that, fair enough.
28
29 MR. RAMPTON: If Dr. Long has direct evidence about the
30 conditions pertaining in other countries, by all means,
31 I am not objecting to that. All I am saying is that it
32 might save time in relation to this country if Dr. Long had
33 been persuaded to read Mr. Bowes' evidence at some stage.
34
35 MR. MORRIS: Certainly Dr. Bowes' statement would not have got
36 very far because it is only a page and a half.
37
38 MR. RAMPTON: I said his evidence.
39
40 MR. MORRIS: He has read Mr. Bowes' evidence.
41
42 MR. JUSTICE BELL: Carry on. Bear what I have said in mind. If
43 it is important to make the point that although this may
44 happen on Bowes' farms, it does not happen elsewhere, for
45 instance, in other countries, it is helpful to elicit that.
46
47 MR. MORRIS: Yes. I at this moment do not believe that if Bowes
48 buy 60 per cent of their throughput from completely outside
49 of their own system, and considering the staggering volume
50 percentage of pigs that are raised in this country, that
51 McDonald's would make some use of them. I think it was him
52 who said it was something like one in 8 or one in 12 pigs
53 would go to McDonald's or may be, I will check that. I do
54 not believe in any case that the conditions pertaining to
55 the industry as a whole in the UK could not relate to -----
56
57 MR. JUSTICE BELL: OK, I understand the point.
58
59 MR. MORRIS: It is just impossible.
60
