Day 078 - 26 Jan 95 - Page 14
1 are cooking it properly?
2 A. I did not say that.
3
4 Q. 157, sorry.
5 A. I would worry about anything or any product which left
6 my manufacturing plant which was less than perfect. But
7 the safe procedure is cooking, and it always has been with
8 meat. E.coli has not cropped up in the last two years;
9 E.coli has probably been there for the last two centuries
10 for all I know.
11
12 Q. The outbreak of E.coli 0157 food poisoning was the first
13 serious one there had been in this country for quite a
14 while, was it not?
15 A. I do not know.
16
17 Q. When investigations were made into McKey's following this
18 outbreak of food poisoning, you say they did not find
19 anything. But it is fact, is it not, that there were not
20 any beef patties available from the batch consumed by the
21 people affected in Preston, there were not any patties from
22 that batch available for microbiological examination?
23 A. I do not know that, but I doubt what you said is true
24 because we keep historical samples but, in the context of
25 the way you have asked the question, I do not know, but if
26 I had the chance to investigate I am sure I would find that
27 samples were passed to Camden because on each batch we keep
28 an historical record.
29
30 Q. What about the Public Health Laboratory Service, did you
31 not pass a batch to them?
32 A. Well, they came in and took samples. I cannot
33 remember.
34
35 Q. You do not remember whether you gave them a sample of the
36 batch that you had saved from that particular batch?
37 A. No.
38
39 MR. JUSTICE BELL: Can you remember whether they asked for one?
40 A. No, I cannot remember that, sir.
41
42 MS. STEEL: So if they say in their report that they were not
43 available ------
44
45 MR. RAMPTON: My Lord, we cannot have this "what they say in
46 their report".
47
48 MS. STEEL: I said, " So, if they say".
49
50 MR. RAMPTON: No, that is the same thing as reading out the
51 document.
52
53 MR. MORRIS: I want to make a point. This is an official local
54 government report. I think we are entitled to quote from
55 it. If Mr. Walker disagrees with what it says or he wants
56 to say any comment, that is up to him. We are not
57 necessarily relying on it as evidence at this stage. We
58 are entitled to put it to him in terms of cross-examination
59
60 MR. JUSTICE BELL: Mr. Walker, go and sit down at the back of
