Day 078 - 26 Jan 95 - Page 08

     
     1        of say:  "That is McDonald's; that is a supermarket".  It
     2        is beef.
     3
     4   Q.   I quite agree.  You see, Ms. Steel used the word "source"
     5        which must mean where it comes from.  Were you thinking
     6        about where it goes to?
     7        A.  Yes, sir.
     8
     9   MS. STEEL:   I am not sure that it matters actually.
    10
    11   MR. JUSTICE BELL:  No, I do not think it does but in case
    12        someone thought it did in the future, there clearly was a
    13        misunderstanding.
    14
    15   MS. STEEL (To the witness):  That has been the situation since
    16        you started supplying people apart from McDonald's?
    17        A.  Yes.
    18
    19   Q.   When you do random testing for bacteria, is that the one
    20        where you were describing you just take a core from the
         centre of each -- what were they called ---
    22        A.  Combo bins.
    23
    24   Q.   -- combo bins?  How long have you been doing that for?
    25        A.  We have always done that -- since 1978.
    26
    27   Q.   Is that from every combo bin?
    28        A.  From every combo bin five cores are taken.
    29
    30   Q.   Five cores are taken?
    31        A.  Yes.
    32
    33   Q.   Meat from how many abattoirs would be in each combo bin?
    34        A.  In each combo bin meat there would only be meat from
    35        one abattoir and one boning room.
    36
    37   Q.   From roughly how many cows then?
    38        A.  Oh, gosh.  Excuse me -- it is all right; if you want
    39        mathematics, I will work it out accurately.
    40
    MR. JUSTICE BELL:  Does it matter if it is accurate or do you
    42        just want a pretty general figure, Ms. Steel?
    43
    44   MS. STEEL:   Just a general figure, really.
    45
    46   THE WITNESS:  There would be about 10 or 12 forequarters in each
    47        combo bin.
    48
    49   MS. STEEL:   How often do you say problems have been detected
    50        with this method, problems of bacteria? 
    51        A.  As a routine over the years, there is often a case 
    52        where it signifies that a boning room is not doing its job 
    53        properly, and I happen to know that in the last 12 months
    54        we have finished with one particular supplier because they
    55        could not get their bacteriological standards to the
    56        specification which we require.
    57
    58   Q.   How long were you taking meat from them before you ceased
    59        doing business with them?
    60        A.  I cannot tell you that now without access to records.