Day 092 - 27 Feb 95 - Page 29

     
     1        A.  No.
     2
     3   MR. JUSTICE BELL:  Let us see where we are going because the
     4        point, or part of it, may be that Mr. Pattison, although
     5        they happen to be antibiotics, they were not given to keep
     6        down disease, as I understand the part you have just
     7        reminded us of.  They were given for that purpose in the
     8        early days, but as the broilers continued to grow, they
     9        were given as growth promoters, not because there would be
    10        disease if they were not given.
    11
    12   MR. MORRIS:  If I may make the comment, it seems to me that
    13        antibiotics are given as growth promoters when we are
    14        trying to talk about disease, but when we are trying to
    15        talk about growth promoters they are given ------
    16
    17   MR. JUSTICE BELL:  They are chemical compounds.  That is what we
    18        come back to.  They have been referred to by the witnesses
    19        as "antibiotics" when they are given for therapeutic effect
    20        and they have been referred to as "growth promoters" when
         they are given for growth promoting effect.
    22
    23   MR. MORRIS (To the witness):  So, Dr. Gomez Gonzalez, at what
    24        stages would chickens used by McDonald's in America have
    25        some kind of antibiotic, whether used as a growth promoter
    26        or therapeutic agent?
    27        A.  I have told you before that we do not use antibiotics
    28        as growth promoters.  If there happens to be a disease, we
    29        use antibiotics but normally we do not use antibiotics.
    30
    31   Q.   What about in the hatcheries, they would be used there?
    32        A.  No, no, we do not.
    33
    34   Q.   So when you say "if there is a disease" -- so what growth
    35        promoters then are used for McDonald's chickens in America?
    36        A.  You do not seem to be listening.  I have told you, we
    37        do not use growth promoters in chickens.
    38
    39   Q.   You said you use antibiotics?
    40        A.  Growth promoters, we do not use, or we do not use
         antibiotics.
    42
    43   MR. JUSTICE BELL:  He said they would not use antibiotics as
    44        growth promoters in the US.  If there was a disease, they
    45        would use them, but they do not normally use them even in
    46        hatcheries.  That was the effect of his answer
    47
    48   MR. MORRIS:  Sorry, I got the impression you did not use
    49        antibiotics as growth promoters, therefore, you would be
    50        interested in using other growth promoters? 
    51        A.  No.  There is no need.  We do not have a need to use 
    52        any other growth promoters. 
    53
    54   MR. JUSTICE BELL:  You have achieved what you need to achieve by
    55        genetic engineering?
    56        A.  By selection, yes.
    57
    58   MS. STEEL:   In around about the middle of the 80s, McDonald's
    59        was using three million eggs a day.  Do you know how many
    60        they use now?